Halfblood
by BookwormAli
Summary: When Ginny and her cousin Hestia meet on the train to Hogwarts in their first year they decide to look out for each other dealing with bullies, quidditch and famous friends
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Many Meetings

Disclaimer: These Characters do not belong to me (with the exception of Hestia) they belong to the original authors and publishers  
A/N: Hi my friend Xanabell (I will put her link somewhere) created this and wanted me to adopt it for her so this is a combined effort. I did not steal this she gave me permission to write and post it.

Thanks

Bookworm Ali

"C'mon Luna! We're never going to make the train if you keep strolling along like that!" yelled an exasperated Ginny as she pulled her friend towards the Pillar that separated the Muggle world from the Magical  
"I'm only looking at the station it's not every day we get to come to come into the Muggle world. They are really good builders considering they don't have any magic!" Luna said as wandered dreamily looking at the structures and features of the station before she was pulled through the pillar  
"Fine we can look at Christmas, when we DON'T have to hurry to get the train." Ginny replied as she pushed her friend into one of the carriages. "Hey where's Ron and Harry?" she asked  
"I think they're with Hermione." Percy replied as he got on after them, ignoring the fact that Hermione had just gotten on the train before them. Unknown to them, the boys were far behind them and were about to be shut out and forced to something that Molly Weasley would never let them forget.

Ginny and Luna were walking through the train, looking for an empty dogbox.

They were about ten minutes into the journey when they finally found an empty one, quickly entering they set their bags down for an uneventful trip. However, fate, destiny and chance had other plans.

* * *

"Hi, um you wouldn't happen to know a Ginny Weasley?" asked a girl, with the same shade of red hair as Ginny- carefully tied into a low ponytail, to not show the tips of her ears- as she entered the dogbox  
"I would. I'm her" said Ginny looking up from her book that she had in her bag. The girl was about the same height as her, lithe and wearing a Quidditch jacket, the Australian Boomers  
"I'm Hestia. Molly Weasley is my aunt. Hagrid said that I had multiple cousins on the train, but the one that was my age was called Ginny." She said sitting down after she put the bag she was carrying in the bag rack  
"I'm Luna Lovegood. Where are you from? Sorry to be rude, but I can't place your accent." Luna said shutting her own book  
"I thought that my Quidditch team would have told you that. No? Okay so Quidditch isn't like Rugby Union? Anyway, I'm from Australia." Hestia said as she adjusted her hair  
"Is your last name Weasley?" Ginny asked. She had so many aunts and uncles that it was hard to remember who had married who  
"Yeah, dad's the Weasley." She said finally giving up fixing her hair "but he moved to Australia with mum. Is it safe to assume that I'll have a hard time at Hogwarts?" Hestia added  
"Well, sorta. The sorting hat will probably stick you in Gryffindor like the rest of us. Otherwise, avoid Fred and George at all costs" Ginny summed up from personal experience  
"Right avoid all other cousins." Hestia said making a mental note  
"Well, not all other cousins, Percy's okay but he can be an arse sometimes" Ginny remarked "Yeah, but avoid the twins."  
"Do you know about auras?" asked Luna  
"Yeah I do. Luna, you have to remember that not all twins have the same shape and style of aura. Their individual experiences will change that. Heck, my grandfather on my mother's side, who is ancient, is a twin. Both their auras were the same for the first few millennia, but then about fifty years ago he lost touch with his twin. So we don't know if they're still the same." Hestia said  
"Wait! Did you say millennia? How old is he?" Ginny said standing up quickly  
"Pretty old. I haven't been able to get a year out of him yet but I'm working on it. Mum got an approximate Age from my great grandfather, who's even older than him before he sailed" Hestia responded, smiling at the looks of disbelief on their faces  
"You're an elf?" asked Luna, eyes going wide with awe  
"Well, ¾ of an elf. Dad's still human, even if he is magical." Hestia replied, this wasn't unusual for her. Having an elf for a mother and a wizard for a father may be uncommon for some, but for her, they were her family  
"Wow, you are truly a half-blood." Ginny said smiling before noticing that they were going over an viaduct and that Percy was at the door, waiting to be allowed in  
"Ginny, Luna, it's time to get changed. Hey, who are you?" Percy said looking at Hestia  
"Hestia Weasley." She said before adding "I come from Australia." Seeing the look of confusion as he tried to remember if he had meet her at a family function  
"Oh, well, welcome to England and good luck at Hogwarts." He said as he left them

* * *

Once they were all changed, they all sat back down and pulled out books. Hestia's stood out  
"What's that?" asked Luna, seeing how thick it was  
"What this? It's 'Plants of Middle Earth and Their Uses'. Well, that's what mum and I call it anyway. It doesn't really have a name."Hestia explained  
"It probably isn't that useful to us then, is it?" Ginny asked  
"Well, sorta, some of the plants that were growing in Middle Earth at the time it was written are still growing today. We just have different names for them, um, African box thorn is actually called Brambles of Mordor. And Birch forests are Brethil." Hestia said, showing the illustrations in the book  
"Wow. Do you know elvish?" asked Luna, curious about what else she could do  
"**You see the boy walking around with the...um... why is there a Ford Anglia flying next to the train?**" Hestia said pointing out the window, before realising that she'd just asked the question in elvish "Why is there a Ford Anglia flying next to the train?" she repeated  
"Bloody Hell!" Ginny exclaimed as she saw Harry fall out of the passenger side of the vehicle  
"What?" Hestia asked  
"That's Harry Potter-the boy who lived? Well, he's my brother's best friend so that means that Ron's flying the car!" Ginny continued  
"Sorry, I don't know who in Eru's name he is." Hestia replied as the train finally settled back down after the surprise. It wasn't long before they would be arriving.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Stations and Sortings  
Disclaimer: These Characters, settings, universe etc. do not belong to me (with the exception of a few characters and things). They belong to the original publishers, writers and original sources.

When the train finally pulled up alongside the station, it was dark and everyone started to yell things at their friends that they hadn't seen on the train. For Hestia's ears it was a nightmare, combined with the noise from the train, she wished that she was back home in Australia. Her new friends, Ginny and Luna tried to help her through the crowd without too much trouble  
"Ginny, I'm getting an overload." Hestia said loud enough so that her cousin could hear  
"Shh, it quiets down soon" she replied just as some second year Slytherins pushed past her, causing her to fall  
"Hey!" she yelled as she tried to hide the tips of her ears, unfortunately, it was moments like these that her accent shone through, this caused the platinum blonde boy, who looked like the leader of the Slytherins to turn and laugh at her  
"The nerve of you convicts! I'd wager that you're not even a halfblood!" he yelled at her before turning to go off with his friends. As soon as they left Hagrid arrived, took one look at Hestia before pulling her up  
"'ow, 'ow (Now) we can't 'ave (have) ya on 'te groun' already, Hes." He said before calling the group to attention "Right, then. This way to the boats. Come on now, follow me." Hagrid said turning around, Hestia was now back with her friends, but that boy with the camera was really starting to bug her eyes. _I wonder if it would have the same effect to elves like Legolas, grandpa and mum._ She thought as she hopped into a boat and was given a lantern on a pole, she was looking at the castle like it was the best piece of architecture she had ever seen, Ginny pulled her out of her musings as she climbed in  
"Make sure you don't get wet, Hestia. I bet Poseidon wouldn't like that." The red head said, shooting a look at Luna  
"Ha, ha, ha. Better lock you up then." Hestia replied, sounding less that pleased before adding "We don't want Arthur to kidnap you." She sniggered  
"Nice one. Oh look out, here comes the guy with the camera!" Luna said, hoping to help Hestia protect her sight  
"Thanks!"  
"Hi, I'm Colin Creevey!" he said excitedly, raising the camera to take a photo of them  
"No photos! My eyes are sensitive!" Hestia hissed raising her hand to try and shield her grey eyes  
"Why? I mean, but its dark and the flash doesn't really hurt..." the boy rambled  
"Trust me, back at the station, Hes had an overload. Her eyes and ears are really sensitive." Ginny explained just as they arrived on the far shore.

They managed to get everyone out of the boats without them getting too wet, although Luna put her shoe into the lake by accident because she was looking around. Hagrid left them there as he went to take his seat in the Great Hall. The first years all walked through the entrance halls until they were met at the top of the stairs by an old female professor  
"Welcome to Hogwarts. Now, in a few moments you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But before you take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you're here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points. Any rule breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the houses with the most points is awarded the house cup. The Sorting Ceremony will begin momentarily." She said standing at the top of the stairs above all the first years. As she turned and walked back through the doors, Hestia caught a glimpse of what the inside looked like. The candles floated in the air, the fires were lit and it looked like the Hall of Fire that her mother had described to her from her time in Arda. The look of pure excitement on her face prompted a boy, who looked very much like the one that had pushed her to the ground and laughed at her. He must have heard Ginny or Luna say something to her  
"Well, so far we have two of the Olympian Council present. Anyone else have a weird name?" he asked, although the question was for Hestia. Just by the tone of his voice was enough to force Luna to come up with a retort that has yet to be beaten  
"If you're so worried about people having weird names, how about you give us yours?" she said stepping forward, this had given Hestia enough time to pull her courage together and face the boy, after Ginny had told her that was professor Minerva McGonagall  
"And actually, Minerva is a Roman Goddess, who is sometimes considered to be like the Greek Athena, except for the fact that she isn't a war goddess. And Hestia gave up her seat on the Olympian Council to stop a civil war. So before you go insulting people just because their names are different, get your facts straight! **You son of a Balrog!**" Hestia said, adding the last part in Elvish just to throw them. Instead it made him introduce himself  
"The name's Malfoy. Nero Malfoy." He said stepping forward  
"Ha! After the crazy Roman Emperor?!" Ginny laughed before being shot down  
"Well there's no need to ask your name. Weasley. I'd bet that was your brother's robe?" he said before returning his attention back to Hestia "And you?" he asked. She had the same colour hair but she had a brand new robe  
"Hestia Weasley." She said, all courage gone now as she tried to hide the tops of her ears. She didn't trust him  
"Yet another? My brother has told me all about your kind. Blood traitors!" he spat causing his friends to laugh at her. Thankfully, McGonagall had chosen that moment to return. She already had two students unaccounted for, and she didn't need any more minor fights  
"Is everything alright here students?" she asked raising an eyebrow  
"I think we're fine here, professor." Hestia replied  
"We're ready for you. Follow me." She said turning on her heel and led them into the hall.

Once they had reached the front of the hall, McGonagall addressed them again  
"Will you wait along here please. Now before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words." Before reaching up her arm and producing a scroll  
"I have a few start-of-term notices I wish to announce. The first years please note, that the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden to all students. There has been a change to the way we will be playing Quidditch this year, there will be a team for every year and the best will still be on the house team. House captains, you will be responsible for picking these students. Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you that the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to all who do not wish to die a most painful death. Thank you." Finished the headmaster before sitting back down, Hestia noted that his blue eyes were almost as piercing as Gandalf's , but didn't say anything  
"When I call your name you will come forth, I shall place the Sorting Hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses. Michael Corner!" Yelled McGonagall, as she read of the scroll  
"Ravenclaw." Called the hat as he sat on the stool  
"Colin Creevey!" The boy with the camera walked up and sat on the stool. The hat was placed on his head for a brief second before yelling  
"Gryffindor!" This scared Hestia a bit, but she refused to show any emotion that Nero could pick up on. Silently she said to herself "**I gave Hope to the Dúnedain, I have kept no hope for myself**." The saying had become her mantra, whatever remained of the once proud race of the Dúnedain did think of her as their new hope  
"What?" hissed Ginny from next to her  
"Nothing..."  
"Nero Malfoy!" called McGonagall, they were already down to M, Luna would be one of the next. The hat took no time in announcing what he had been sorted into  
"Slytherin!" This caused all the Slytherins to cheer as he walked over. The second year, who had pushed Hestia over, shook his hand as he sat next to him. They looked so much alike that it was easy to see that they were brothers  
"Luna Lovegood!" As Luna walked up she smiled brightly at all of the teachers, getting a few smiles in return. Sitting down, she looked like she was having a conversation with the hat, which after a few moments announced  
"Ravenclaw!" Luna smiled at the other two as she walked over to join her house mates  
"Ginevra Weasley!"  
"Straight to Gryffindor with the rest of them!" yelled someone in Slytherin  
"Silence!" boomed the headmaster  
"Gryffindor!" yelled the hat, leaving Hestia remembering that she was next  
"Hestia Weasley!" called McGonagall. Hestia hoped that her ponytail held when they put the sorting hat on her head  
"Yet another Weasley?" it started before it started to sort through her memories "Yes, there's the bravery that all you Weasley's possess, yet it is a different kind of bravery. Wait. What's this?" it asked. _It must be seeing me trying to do elven magic_. Hestia thought as it announced "There's definitely strong magic in this one, yet it seems older and trying to free itself, having recently oppressed by the Weasley side of you... there's only one place for you..." it concluded "Gryffindor!" it called. The entire Gryffindor house stood up as she quickly walked over, hoping that this was one of the few times that the grace of the Eldar was with her, and the fact that she had a feeling that if she stayed up there any longer, her ears would turn red from embarrassment.  
"Welcome to Gryffindor, Hes!" Ginny said as she hugged her as she sat down, and with that the feast began.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Meet the family  
Disclaimer: I only own Hestia and a few others. The other Characters etc belong to the original authors and publishers

After the Sorting ceremony, the rest of the Weasley's took turn in introducing themselves  
"So this is the new Weasley on the block?" asked one of the twins  
"Leave it Fred." Said the other before extending his hand across the table to her "George"  
"Hestia." She replied shaking it  
"I'm Percy." Said the other one sitting next to George, wearing a prefect's badge, before returning to his food  
"Normally, we'd introduce you to Ron, but..." said Ginny "hey, Perce, where's Ron?" she asked as she looked up the table trying to find him  
"No, I thought that he was with you on the train." Percy started as he cut his meat, "Oliver, have you seen Ron and Harry... Hang on a minute. Where's Harry?" Percy said, starting to look worried as he sent the message down to some second years who shrugged and suggest that they look up the other end of the table, the girl they met on the train perked up and said  
"No, I thought they were with you, avoiding me." She finished as they all turned to see Filch run up to the teacher's table and talk to a man with long, greasy, black hair, also dressed entirely in black, before they both swiftly left  
"Excuse me, um but who was that?" she asked the boy that she was sitting next to. The one Percy had called Oliver  
"The name's Oliver Wood. That my friend, was professor Snape and Filch the cleaner. Snape teaches potions but everyone knows that he's been after Defence Against the Dark Arts for years." He explained  
"Are you the Quidditch captain for Gryffindor?" she asked, catching a gleam of polished brass on his robes. Her eyesight helping her see what it was for  
"Yes, how'd you see that?" he asked shocked at how she could see that  
"I've got very keen eyes. Dad usually comes to me or mum if he's lost something." She said eating her salad  
"Is he a muggle?" Wood asked  
"No, he's the Weasley. He just prefers not to use his wand for small things." She explained  
"So, your mother's the muggle?" he asked, confused. How could she be a halfblood, if not her mother  
"Nope. She's not the muggle. She's of the Eldar." Hestia said, hoping not to give away too much  
"Eldar... Sorry, not ringing any bells." Wood replied, he hadn't really paid attention in Care for Magical Creatures in his time here at Hogwarts  
"Elves." She said, not wanting to raise her hair just yet  
"A house elf?" he asked astounded  
"Of Middle Earth. The last remaining grandchild of Lord Elrond of Rivendell." Hestia said hoping he'd read Lord Of The Rings  
"Rivendell?" he asked "That existed?" he questioned  
"Yep." Hestia replied pushing part of her hair down so he could see the tip of her ear  
"Wow. That probably means you're more agile and swifter than most of us regular humans, right?" he asked, formulating plans in his head. Fred and George had already told him that Ginny was competent in being a Chaser, and now Hestia's sight and agility made her the obvious choice for a seeker  
"Yeah." She said  
"Next week, I'm holding training with the team. Come along and we'll see how you go. You should have at least a week's worth of flying lessons under your belt by then!" he said just as the plates were cleared and the Headmaster announced that it was time to retire for the night. As he left, Hestia couldn't help but remember the tales of Gandalf her mother had told her.

* * *

As they walked back, Hestia found herself next to Ginny and Wood, memorising where she had to go. They had merged with Ravenclaw for a bit, but Percy yelled "Gryffindor! This way please!" to separate them as they took a turn up the stairs. The boy with the camera, Colin, was walking around taking photos of everything  
"What's wrong with him?" Hestia asked of no one in particular  
"Nothing, he's just a muggle" Wood said as he went to catch up with Katie Bell and discuss Quidditch and the new changes, and get a few ideas for the new teams  
"Ok, I have no idea what a muggle is. And everyone seems to be always using it! **Kíli's beard!**" Hestia said  
"Non-magical people. And what was that?" Ginny said getting a bemused look on her face as Hestia cursed some more  
"That was Kíli's beard. He had next to none, or so my grandfather said." She explained  
"And that's a bad thing why?" asked Ginny  
"He was a dwarf. Every dwarf has a beard to be proud of. Except Kíli. He had a shadow that could just be counted as stubble. And earlier I called Nero a son of a Balrog. Go look them up!" Hestia said as they finally arrived at the portrait, of a fat lady, attempting to sing opera  
"Ugh, she gets worse every year!" complained one of the second years  
"I have to agree with you, Seamus!" said another  
"What she really needs is some lessons, right Neville?" said the one that apparently was called Seamus  
"Password?" asked the picture in a deep voice, making Hestia gasp in shock and take a small step back into Wood  
"Don't be afraid. She gets so used to seeing Gryffindor's that she doesn't even ask for a pass word sometimes. But we have to do this for first years." Wood explained just before Percy said the words  
"Dragon Scales" he said confidently  
"Come in" she said as the portrait swung open revealing the homely looking common room inside  
"Follow me, everyone. Keep up. Quickly, come on! Gather around here. Welcome to the Gryffindor common room. Boys' dormitories is upstairs and down to your left. Girls the same on your right. You'll find all your belonging have already been brought up." Percy explained some of the older students went directly to their dorms, not needing to listen to Percy  
"And you said that Percy was ok?" Hestia asked as she and Ginny climbed the stairs  
"Well, most of the time, but steer clear of him unless absolutely necessary!" Ginny hissed in her ear as they pushed open the door into the room. There had been three other girls sorted into Gryffindor that year  
"Hi, I'm Elanor Telcontar." Said a girl with brown hair. As a matter of fact, they all had brown hair  
"Elizabeth Gardener" said another with blue eyes and honey brown hair  
"Daisy Took!" said another with curly hair and bright eyes. Hearing these names reminded Hestia of her mother's stories about the fellowship.  
Gardener was a derivative of Gamgee, the most notable being Samwise.

Took was a name that hadn't really changed over the years, but most had forgotten what marvellous adventures the Took's of old had gone on. Even if they had been call "you fool of a Took!" by a grumpy old wizard.

Elanor's last name was a complete surprise to her. Telcontar of translated from Quenya, Strider, the name that King Elessar had given to his house to commemorate his time as Strider, a ranger of the North. The look in Elanor's eyes had confirmed her suspicions, the look of a race once proud, now reduced once again to a wandering people. Elanor was in fact one of the Dúnedain

"Well, I'm Ginny Weasley and that's my cousin Hestia Weasley." Ginny said drawing Hestia out of her musings  
"Hi." Hestia said nervously before seeing where her stuff had been placed. Her trunk was sitting next to one of the four poster beds, next to the window, with her house tie, scarf and vest lay over a chair. Her bird, Gwaihir, an eagle sat on the dresser that was hers. How she had convinced her father to let her have the eagle, she will never know  
"Yeah, um we arrived here and the eagle was out of its cage... it screeched at us when we tried to coax it back in." Elanor said as she put her clothes in her dresser and her towel over the guard rail of the furnace that stood in the centre of the room  
"Don't worry about Gwaihir, he just likes screeching at people for no apparent reason." Hestia explained as she opened the window and shooed him out of it "He doesn't like being caged up all that much either." She said as she stood clear as the bird flew past her at a blinding speed  
"I thought that the letter said only owls, cats or a toad." Elizabeth said as she too unpacked. Daisy had literally ran up the stairs and changed into her pyjamas and was curled up under the covers on her bed. Hestia and Ginny had just returned from their showers when the girl Oliver Wood had been talking to before came through their door  
"Right," she started before looking around the room. The girls were mostly already unpacked. There was a cage next to one of the red heads beds, but it was empty, however, there didn't appear to be any searching "I'm Katie Bell, I've been sent down from a few years above you to make sure you're all fine." She said before continuing "Was there supposed to be something in that cage?" she asked the red head that was closest to the bed  
"Yeah, my eagle. He doesn't like being caged so I let him go fly outside." She responded evenly  
"Right. So, tomorrow, all of your timetables will be pinned up on the notice board that is in the common room. But from then on, once you hit second year. They're usually with the rest of your belongings. So with that, hope you enjoy your time at Hogwarts and have a goodnights sleep. I really don't want to have to come down here to tell you lot to go to sleep." Katie said as she left, flicking her wand at the candles and lights to turn them off. All of them had climbed into bed as she was talking to them anyway.

Hestia lay awake. She had to wait until Katie had left so she could take her hair out and let Gwaihir back in. As she stood up she could easily see her way around to the window. Quietly opening it, the eagle flew back in and sat on the top of Hestia's chair. Moving back over to the mirror, she let the ponytail out. Her heritage showing through. She hadn't always had red hair, she'd been born a brunette, and it had only recently finished turning itself red. Sighing, she walked back over to her bed, petting Gwaihir and wishing him goodnight before carefully arranging her hair so that no one could see the tips of her ears. She definitely had to tell Professor McGonagall about that, 1 because she was her head of house and 2, because she was the Transfiguration teacher. She needed those glamors!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Timetables and suspicions  
Disclaimer: I only own Some of these characters (Hestia) the others belong to their original authors and publishers

When Hestia got up in the morning she pulled out from her draw her skirt, a necessary evil, her white top, her tie, the vest, some socks and her shoes. Quickly dressing in the bathroom, she raced down to the common room, cursing her skirt as she went. There had to be a loophole in the school rules that would let her wear pants. Racing down to the notice board, she saw Percy and another head of house still pinning up the timetables. They'd brought Wood down with them, but he was passed out on the couch  
"Morning!" Hestia said cheerfully as she stood on her tip toes to see if she could see her's or Ginny's  
"Morning Hestia. I assume that you're here for your timetables?" Percy asked as he held his hand out for another pin  
"Perce. I think we better put them down a bit. The first years aren't that tall." The other said as he moved some down  
"Fine." Percy said stubbornly  
"Hi, what's your name?" said the other Prefect  
"Hestia Weasley. Oh and can I get Ginny's as well?" she asked  
"We always reward those who get down here first!" the Prefect replied, handing her two of the timetables before asked "Can you get more pins from Wood, please?" pointing over to where the Quidditch captain held the pins against his chest  
"Sure." She replied happily as she walked over to Wood and slowly moved her hand towards the pins  
"Oh and try not to wake him up! He hates being up at this hour. Especially since he was up late last night, trying to sort out some things for Quidditch, I think!" Percy said as Wood stirred a bit  
"**Stay asleep. I'm not going to hurt you. I just need the pins**." Hestia said, hoping the soft rolling of the Elvish tongue would lull him back to sleep. It worked. Grabbing the pins she handed them to Percy who just looked at her in shock. In previous years when he had dragged Wood down, he was usually the one who was sent to wake him up. And usually be sworn at. Wood usually apologised later  
"Wow, you managed to keep Oliver asleep!" the Prefect said "What language was that? Was it a spell?" he asked  
"Thanks, and I'm not going to tell you what language that was in because it's supposed to be a dead language." Hestia said as she bounced back up the stairs to wake Ginny up.

* * *

As she suspected, Ginny was still asleep, partially snoring as she burst through the door. Elanor and Daisy were dressed and were waiting for Elizabeth to finish making her bed before they headed down to breakfast. Sighing, Hestia walked over to Ginny's bed and said calmly "Get up, useless! We have to have breakfast and get down to the dungeons! We have potions first!" she said before her cousin sat bolt upright  
"BLOODY HELL!" she yelled as she ran around, grabbing her clothes before heading to the showers. Returning a few minutes later, she had her hair brushed, robes on, but looked like her tie was Sauron. "Can you do ties?" she asked  
"Of course." She said pointing to her own tie before doing her cousins. Setting Ginny's collar straight she grabbed a small handful of owl pellets. Gwaihir eagerly ate them as the girls raced down the stairs. Wood had decided that it was time to move, having left the lounge  
"Hes, do you have our timetables?" Ginny asked looking at the blank board  
"Yeah, I grabbed them earlier." Hestia replied handing Ginny hers before they both raced down the moving staircase  
"We are starting our time here in the dungeons!" Ginny exclaimed as they stopped to make sure that Hestia's ears were hidden  
"It could be worse. We could have double potions with the Slytherins like we do on Friday. On the bright side however, we have DADA with Luna and most of our transfiguration lessons with the Hufflepuffs. And after lunch we get flying lessons!" Hestia said as they walked in. Sitting down at the Gryffindor table, Hestia was met with  
"Bloody hell, Ginny. Who's that?" asked a red-headed second year  
"That Ron is our cousin, Hestia. She's Australian." Ginny said as she started to butter toast. Hestia grabbed some of her own, and started to look for the Vegemite, only to find that there wasn't any  
"**Elrond's Eyebrows! There isn't any!**" she huffed just as the mail arrived. Gwaihir swooped down with her copy of the Daily Prophet. The eagle dropped it and Hestia's hand shot up and grabbed it, quickly and swiftly like the half elf that she was  
"Excuse me, but we speak English in this part of the world." Ginny said, hoping that Hestia got the message  
"Sorry." she said as she grabbed the ham as it floated past and put that on instead  
"You know, professor Snape was looking when your bird came in with the morning paper. I think he noted how quick your reflexes were..." Hermione said as she ate her cereal  
"It's just natural... heck I'm not on steroids!" Hestia replied, shocked at the prospect. Thankfully, Hermione was already back to talking with Ron and Harry.

Outside, Luna caught them as they left  
"Where are you heading?" she asked excitedly  
"Dungeons. We got potions." Ginny said, as they walked out to the top of the stairs  
"I'm going to defence against the dark arts. Have you seen the new teacher?" Luna added  
"No, but I have to face Nero Malfoy, in double potions, first thing Friday morning!" Hestia said  
"Sounds like fun! I better get going! It's a long way to DADA!" Luna said taking off up the stairs, leaving Hestia and Ginny to walk down the stairs, taking the short cut to the dungeons, until they were yelled at from behind  
"Hey! Wait up!" called the voice  
"Creevey." The cousins sighed at the same time, turning around. It just wasn't Colin but Elanor, Daisy and Elizabeth as well  
"We were going to get lost." Daisy said as they walked down the stairs  
"Yeah, and then we remembered that you've got siblings, Ginny." Elanor added  
"So we decided to follow you." Elizabeth finished  
"Can I get a photo now?" Colin asked pointing to his camera  
"Oh **Eru** no! My eyes are extremely sensitive. If you can turn the flash off then you can." Hestia said, hoping that he'd understand  
"Who's Eru?" Daisy asked  
"You fool of a Took! Go look him up yourself!" Hestia said, laughing just as they arrived. Professor Snape was standing outside the door  
"Well, well, well. This is most unheard of. Most of the Gryffindors showing up, before most of the Slytherins." He said ushering them in "Take a seat on the left hand side." He said coldly, sending shivers up Hestia's spine  
"You okay?" Ginny asked setting her books on the table  
"Yeah, I think. There's something about that teacher that just isn't right." Hestia said looking over her shoulder at the teacher, trying to remember if her father had shown or told her something about him. Realising that he hadn't, she made a mental note to ask him over Christmas. When the last of the Slytherins walked in, lead by none other than Nero Malfoy. Snape was sitting behind his desk, taking the register before looking up and saying in his cold voice  
"Mr Malfoy, you were expected to be here almost five minutes ago. But seeing as this is your first day, I won't take any points away from Slytherin house. Take a seat." He said pointing to the seat directly right from Hestia. Whatever had possessed her to sit on the aisle side of the desk had better hope that her hair doesn't fall out  
"Miss Weasley." Snape said, now addressing the cousins  
"Yes, professor?" they replied in sync  
"Miss Hestia Weasley. Can you tell me what properties Simbelmynë has?" he asked looking directly at her  
"Yes I can sir. Simbelmynë was common upon the burial mounds of the kings of Rohan. It grew heavily on the mounds of the greater kings and less on the tombs of the lesser kings. Today it's used in potions to determine how potent a potion is: it will become brighter if the potion is potent and it will wither if the potion is wrong or isn't strong enough." Hestia replied, causing gasps from all around the room  
"Correct. 20 points to Gryffindor, for the correct identification of a plant and its uses." He said walking away from her desk and back up to the black board, which he flicked his wand at "Take these notes down. Tomorrow, bring your cauldrons to class as I will be assessing your skill level with a low level of difficulty potion." He said sitting back at his desk  
"Nice work Weasley!" hissed Nero from across the aisle  
"**Oh, go to the pits of Utumno and become an orc. Wait, you're already are!**" she hissed back, still looking at the board and taking notes in her book. Quickly glancing across at Snape, she realised that his eyes had just flicked from black to the startling grey of her own eyes and back to black again. _That's weird. I'll have to ask dad about that too._ She thought as he prepared to dismiss the class  
"Class dismissed." He said just as the bell rang. All the students stood up quickly, gathered their things and left swiftly. Hestia was just about to pick up her own book when Nero swaggered over and picked it up, to see if he could get her into trouble for anything. _Shit. I wrote the notes down in elvish!_ Her mind screamed at her  
"Professor Snape! Hestia didn't take the notes down. Her book looks like a lot go gibberish!" he said waving the book under the potion master's nose  
"I can see that, Mr Malfoy. Now go to your next class. I will deal with this myself." Snape said before turning to Hestia, who shifted nervously under his gaze. When Nero finally left Snape turned to her and asked coldly "What language is this?" he asked pointing at the book  
"Elvish sir, I can explain..." she started  
"I need no explanation of your circumstances." He said as his eyes flicked to grey again, his voice sounding like her grandfathers, before the eyes returned to black "But I will have to take 5 points from Gryffindor for lack of disregard to the school rules on bullying. I believe that you have transfiguration now. Correct?" he said. Taking her leave she raced to where McGonagall had her classes.

* * *

"Well, what did Snape want?" asked Ginny as Hestia sat down next to her  
"I just lost five points for 'bullying' Nero. But he understands my 'disadvantage'." Hestia explained as she pulled out an advanced book on Defence against the Dark Arts. Flipping through until she found what she was looking for  
"What's this? Why are you doing this Hes?" Ginny asked looking over at the page. It was something that most wizards and witches never say in their lives, yet it could extend the lives of those it affected  
"One of my dad's books. He was an Auror before he married my mother. This was one of my favourite books. He wrote in spells and potions that helped him. Hopefully he saw something like this..." Hestia said trying to find what she was looking for  
"What are you looking for?" Ginny asked again  
"I have a feeling. I'm not sure how right it is, but it's a feeling." Hestia started before seeing McGonagall arrive at the room, the arrival meant that she had to put the book away  
"Tell me at lunch." Ginny hissed as McGonagall started the lesson  
"Remember I'll be a little late. I have to get these glamours on." Hestia replied as she took the notes on the black board down. In English this time.

As class was dismissed for lunch, Hestia remained seated in her spot, waiting until McGonagall looked up from the marking she was doing  
"Is there anything I can help you with, Miss Weasley?" she asked, confused. All the other Gryffindors had raced out to lunch  
"Yes professor, there is. I'm sure you know about my heritage." Hestia asked looking confident at her request  
"Yes I do." McGonagall replied before adding "In fact I was there when your parent's were married. I know all about your circumstances." McGonagall said, smiling. Jonathon Weasley had topped transfiguration and DADA in his NEWTs, becoming the Auror that he had wanted to be, as well as a member of the Order of the Phoenix  
"Professor, I need glamours on my ears. I can't focus on classes and have to constantly remember not to brush my hair behind my ears. The Slytherins would tear me apart." Hestia said  
"Come over here. This won't hurt a bit, although it'll feel a little funny for a little bit," McGonagall started as she waved her wand over the student's ears, changing them from the slender point of the elves to the round lobe of humans "A simple wave of your own wand over your ears will remove the glamour, now go to lunch before the rest of the Gryffindors finish it." McGonagall winked before ushering her out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five: Defying Gravity!  
Disclaimer: Own nothing- most characters etc belong to original authors and publishers

"So you're saying that Snape's possessed?" Ginny asked as she and Hestia left the Great Hall, after lunch, and were heading down to the area designated for flying practise  
"Yep, Ginny, people's eyes don't change colour-unless they're Legolas'- naturally. And that is the only thing that would cause that to happen!" Hestia replied in a hushed tone as some Slytherins walked past  
"What else is there to this story?" Ginny asked sighing  
"A trip to the owlery and possible some break, enter and theft." Hestia replied, as she thought of all possible potions that they would have to brew to try on the potions master  
"We haven't even learnt about that sort of stuff yet! That's like 6th year stuff!" Ginny exclaimed as they grabbed some of the school's Cleansweep's and headed out to the pitch  
"I used to help dad and grandad out with that sort of stuff when I was at home" her cousin replied, wearing the usual Weasley 'I'm up to no good' grin  
"Is there anything they didn't teach you?" Ginny asked  
"Yes, the useless pastime of knitting!" the young girl said laughing as they arrived, gaining a few curious stares from the rest of the class as they lined up. Unfortunately for Hestia, she was lined up opposite Nero, and next to Colin  
"Good afternoon, Class!" boomed Madame Hooch as she walked up the centre of both house groups  
"Good afternoon, Madame Hooch!" the class replied looking up to see what they were going to do  
"Welcome to your first flying class. Now, when I tell you, I want you to raise your hand and say in a nice strong voice 'UP'" Hooch instructed as she demonstrated what she wanted them to do. Nero smirked at his fellow Slytherins and whispered something that only Hestia picked up  
"The Mudblood's better have trouble with this!"  
"Right, on my whistle, I want you to start!" Hooch yelled as the let the high pitch whistle out, before walking down the line to see what she had to correct  
"Hestia Weasley! Tie that hair up! Same goes for you Elanor! Tie it back or I cut it off! Malfoy! Stop that smirk! Yes I saw it!" Hooch yelled as she walked away from the girls  
"Close one, hey! You got your ears done!" Ginny remarked as she raised her hand and gave the command "Up!" only for the broom to roll around a few times before finally coming up to her hand  
"Yeah, before lunch. **OH SPARE ME THE STUBBONESS OF DWARFS!**" Hestia exclaimed as she tried to find a hair band, luckily, she always had leather thongs in her pockets, tying her hair up, she noticed that Nero was about to call his broom. Smiling slightly to herself, she whispered the word that Haldir had once used to drop Legolas from a tree. Whispering it, she smirked as the broom instantly responded "Daro!" she hissed so quietly that even she had trouble hearing it

Nero was stunned to say the least. The broom had been in the process of coming to his hand, but there it was, back on the ground. But the smirk on Hestia Weasley's face told him that she had something to do with it. She was going to pay! He had noticed that her broom had come up without a problem  
"Right! Now one at a time, I want you to mount your broom. Hover over the ground and then return!" Hooch yelled as she returned to her spot at the top of the lines.

Elanor had an easy time for an absolute beginner, hovering barely 3 foot above the ground. Elizabeth and Daisy both had the wobbles until Hooch fixed their positions on their brooms. Ginny easily lifted off the ground, but that was to be expected, she did play a lot of Quidditch at home before. Nero and his lackeys were complaining about the age of the Cleansweeps, to which Hooch responded with a quick and witty response, don't like them then get your own!

Colin, however, was where all Utumno broke loose. He was right for the first few seconds, but when he was supposed to return to the ground, his broom lifted instead and took him on a non-joy-ride around the area.  
"Mr Creevey! I did not tell you to go flying! Return to the ground this instant!" the instructor yelled as she and the class ran over to where he was falling to. Hooch looked like she was going to have to file another report about how it happened. Hestia knew she had to do something. As the entire class ran after Colin, she let her eyes follow the broom and mouthed 'Daro' at it. As expected, the broom dropped, leaving Colin to fall in a bad position. As Hooch took Colin to the hospital wing, she yelled at the group to keep their feet firmly planted on the ground. Nero just sniggered, and after she was out of sight, walked up to the camera that Colin had dropped  
"As I thought, the mudblood can't fly. He probably won't be needing this again!" Nero said mounting his broom and flying away. Hestia couldn't risk using 'Daro' again, not only because the others would hear it, but also because Nero had switched to a plastic broom. 'Daro' only worked on organic things. Looking at the broom in her hand, she knew there was only one thing she could do. Elanor caught her eye  
"Hestia, don't you dare!" the girl hissed, catching the look on her friend's face  
"I have to." Hestia replied before kicking off and following the Slytherin. Manoeuvring the wood was just like climbing a tree, except that it was only the one piece of wood  
"Ha! So they send the blood traitor!" Nero yelled at her as she neared him  
"The only blood that's being betrayed is yours, Nero! Give me the goddamn camera!" She retorted from her broom  
"Only if you can find it in the Forbidden Forest!" he yelled as he threw it towards the dark wood  
"**Thank the Valor it isn't Mirkwood!**" Hestia said silently as she flew past Nero. As she grabbed the camera, she made sure that she had the straps firmly around her neck. She never even realised that she stopped in front of the teacher's offices.

* * *

McGonagall looked up from yet another piece of marking she had to do, only to see a bright flash of red hair, in a low ponytail, as well as ears. The glamours that she had put on Hestia allowed only the staff to see her real ears. It was clear that it was Hestia Weasley. Turning into her Tabby cat form, she thought that she would be lucky if she could catch her returning to the ground.  
LINEBREAK  
"Hestia Weasley!" McGonagall yelled as she saw the lithe girl return to the ground, with ease  
"Yes, professor?" she asked as she handed the camera to one of her friends, Elanor Telcontar, it was  
"Come with me..." the head of house said turning on her heal and striding off  
"Yes, professor..." Hestia replied, making sure that Elanor had the camera before she left  
"Weasley's in for it!" yelled Nero  
"**DIE LIKE A WITLESS WORM!**"Hestia shot back  
"Hestia!"  
"Sorry..." she muttered running after the old teacher, she was exactly like her father in that respect. Jonathon had been found the same way, except he was in a different position than what she had in mind for his daughter. As soon they were far enough away from the pitch, McGonagall turned to the young girl  
"That was the most spectacular piece of flying that I've seen from a first year yet!" she exclaimed before continuing "You must play for the first year team. We have always fielded a team, and you shall play, if our Quidditch captain allows it..." she continued as they walked through the school, broom still in hand as they arrived at the DADA tower. "Wait here." McGonagall said as she walked in, returning a few seconds later with Oliver Wood

"I have NEVER seen Katie Bell ogle at anyone before professor!" Wood exclaimed as he stepped out of the class  
"Yes, well, I'm sure you can discuss that with your year group later, but I'd like you to meet the first player for the first year's team!" McGonagall said excitedly, motioning for Hestia to come forward  
"Hey, Wood." She said nervously  
"Hey Hestia." He replied, not taking too much notice of her  
"Well, what do you think?" McGonagall asked  
"What, I haven't seen the player yet." Wood said  
"Yes, Miss Hestia Weasley, as a seeker." The teacher replied  
"ME!" Hestia shrieked worriedly  
"Yes, you! Wood could show you a few more things then we have a seeker for the first year team!" McGonagall replied  
"Well, she was already invited to training, so now, I guess she has a reason to show!" Wood answered, smiling. From what she'd already told him, Hestia would be a valuable member of the team. Especially if Harry had problems  
"Is a School Cleansweep fine?" she asked holding the broom up for them to see


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: own only some characters. All rights go to original authors and publishers.

A/N: hi everybody sorry this hasn't story hasn't been updated and this chapter is so short but I will try and make a longer one tomorrow.

Thanks BookwormAli

Hestia felt the late October wind as she walked briskly to the quidditch pitch. She heard two pairs of footsteps behind her. "Hestia, cousin how are you?" George walked beside her on the right.

"Want a pastille?" Fred asked on her left, holding a small candy for her too see.

"Um… no thanks Fred. Ginny's told me what you guys have been doing in your room." Hestia replied politely "I'm well thank you George."

"Wait how does Ginny know what we do in our room?" Fred asked stopping for a second.

"She was at home all by herself for a year with no older brothers around. What do you think she was doing? Sitting around knitting?" Hestia replied picking up her pace.

George begins walking backward. "So Hestia, I noticed you have a eagle-"

".Gwaihir. His name is Gwaihir" Hestia interrupts

"- right. Anyway Fred and I were wondering is that even allowed?" George continued.

"Yes it is allowed. I have permission from Dumbledore," Hestia snapped, "besides Ron has a rat if I recall correctly. I don't recall reading that in my acceptance letter."

"Um… yeah mum doesn't really read the pets list anymore." Fred replied sheepishly.

Hestia spotted the rest of the team huddled on the side of the pitch brooms by their side. Wood looked up at her and the twins.

"Weasleys. Hurry up." Wood barked. Hestia ran over to him.

"_Wood has nice eyes"_ Hestia thought to herself _"And he's an excellent flyer, a really great captain."_

"Everyone I'd like you to meet Hestia. Hestia is a first year. Our new first year seeker."

"SEEKER?" A boy with black hair and glasses explodes "Aren't I our seeker. This… this this girl our seeker?" his voice goes quiet "you're not replacing me are you?"

"Calm down Harry. Hestia is our first year seeker for the new first year team. McGonagall says she's the best flyer she's seen in years and she's got great eyesight. She's not replacing you."

"Wait your Harry. Harry Potter, the boy Ginny's got a huge…." Hestia noticed the look on Fred's face " Uh… um Never mind." Hestia stammered.

"Alright all of you let's get started. " Wood interrupted. "Everyone onto the pitch."

LINEBREAK

Hestia was excelling in Herbology. She was receiving praise from Professor Sprout on her Puffapod was the biggest in her class.

"What did you think of harry?" Ginny asked her during the Herbology lesson the day after quidditch practice.

"He's nice. He totally panicked when he found out I was a seeker. Thought I was replacing him. He looked a bit embarrassed when I beat him at a quick seeker round though." Hestia replied while moving her Puffapod into a bigger pot. "I can see why he and Ron are friends though."

"Miss Weasley. Your puffapod is looking spectacular." Professor Sprout said as she moved towards the front of the class. "Alright everyone listen up. You will all be given some homework. Write a fact file on a specific plant. It can be anything but I want details. 2 pages. This will go toward to final mark. Hestia Weasley I expect great things from you."

With that the class was finished. "Hey Ginny. You can borrow my book on middle Earth plants. For this fact file, it has some interesting plants that Sprout will give you great marks. " Hestia asked Ginny on their way out.

"Um sure. I have some things to do so I'll catch up with you later." Ginny asked walking towards the courtyard.

"Are you alright Ginny? You look kind of worried." Hestia asked noticing her cousins pale skin. Ginny fumbled with her books. One of them fell on the ground. It opened and Hestia saw that it was blank.

Ginny anxiously bent down and picked it up before racing off towards the bathroom. Tears running down her face. Hestia ran after her. She followed her down the corridor of the bathroom but couldn't find her. Elanor came racing out of the bathroom.

"Oh Hestia hi. Where are you going? Potions is that way." Elanor pointed towards the other end of the corridor.

"Um hi Elanor. You haven't seen Ginny have you? She just took off."

"I'm sure she's already in potions." Elanor said leading Hestia towards the dungeons.


	7. Chapter 7

Ginny wasn't in potions like Elanor said she would. Hestia was becoming worried. It didn't help that were supposed to be focusing on potions. Not that the potion they were making was hard thought. She'd made the cure for boils plenty of times before with her father. Why, she didn't know.

POOF. The cauldron in front of her exploded sending a messy goo all over the workstation. "10 points from Gryffindor. Hestia Weasley detention." Snape said from somewhere behind Hestia.

"Stupid snape and his stupid detentions." Hestia mumbled quietly to herself.

"Another 10 points from Gryffindor." Snape said while walking past Hestia's workspace.

"How the hell did he hear you?" Daisy whispered to Hestia from across the aisle.

"I have no idea." Hestia replied while cleaning up the goo that was now spreading onto the floor.

Suddenly the bell rings for the end of class. **"Thank Eru that's over." **Hestia said to herself as she walked out of class.

"Hestia Weasley where do you think you're going? Professor Snape said coldly.

"Back to my dorm sir?" Hestia said warily.

"No you have your detention now. You will stay and clean up my storeroom." Snape said gesturing to a large door behind him "And will continue to do so every evening until the task is done. You must stay for at least 2 hours tonight."

"But sir. It's the Halloween feast tonight." Daisy said.

"Miss Took unless you want to join Miss Weasley I suggest you leave now. I do not care for the feast." Snape gave Daisy a horrid glare motioning for the door.

"Catch up later" Hestia mouthed before opening the door to the enormous storeroom. It was filled to the brim with bottle and jars of all sorts of ingredients from Toad eyes to Doxy eggs. "Wow." Hestia said to herself before rolling up her sleeves and pulling the nearest jar out.

* * *

By the time Hestia had done 7 of the 20 shelves of the storeroom it was almost 8 o'clock. Professor Snape let her go and get some food from the great hall telling her to rest. "You have done plenty thank you."

Hestia's muscles ached all over. She'd lifted 60 bottles and jars of different ingredients. While Snape wasn't looking she snuck small vials of different things into her bag. Ingredients that she would use if she ever needed it.

As Hestia raced down the hallway she stopped for a minute "_Did Professor Snape just say thank you."_ She thought to herself. She shook off the thought hoping there was still some food at the feast. Suddenly she heard a manly high pitched scream. It sounded like Filch. She ran towards the sound to where she saw Harry, Ron and a fellow Gryffindor girl Hermione. Beside them stood Filch who looked like he was dying. The halls became flooded with people. Hestia moved closer to get a better view.

Then she saw it. The words, written in blood, still dripping, still fresh. Filch's cat Mrs Norris petrified. Filch crying. Screaming abuse at Harry.

"The chamber of secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir beware." Hestia whispered to herself.

"Enemies of the Heir Beware. You'll be next, mudbloods. A boy with slick blonde hair said loudly. He looked a year older than Hestia.

"Who's that?" Hestia asked Katie Bell who was standing next to her in the crowd.

"Just the biggest git ever." Katie said "Draco Malfoy. He thinks he's so great cause his dads some ministry worker."

"Did you say Malfoy? As in Nero Malfoy? That's his brother?" Hestia replied gobsmacked.

"Yeah. Hey is Nero as much as a big headed egotistical git as his brother? With a side of look at me I'm a pureblood." Katie asked

"Yeah pretty much. Pureblood and bigheaded sums it up pretty well." Hestia replied warily.

Quite a large crowd had now gathered. All of the teaching staff were there as well. Percy was trying to shoo the Gryffindor's back to their dorms.

The Defence against the Dark Arts teacher Mr Gilderoy Lockhart stood their pale as a ghost, practically crying. The teacher's murmured to each other before sending all the students back to their dorms.

* * *

Having the whole House in the common room was squishy but nice. Hestia managed to get acquainted with a lot of the students who she'd never met before including that Hermione girl that Ron was friends with. Fred and George appeared out of nowhere with mountains of food and soon Hestia found herself standing in the middle of a circle doing an impression of Professor Lockhart.

"Look at me I'm Gilderoy Lockhart, I've battled dragons and walked with werewolves." Hestia said mockingly. "My favourite colour is lilac. Would you like an autograph? I'm famous, Make sure you get my good side."

The whole room suddenly went quiet. "Hestia Weasley…" A stern voice said from the entrance of the common room. "That was the best impression of Professor Lockhart yet. Much better than Professor Flitwick's" Hestia turned to find Professor McGonagall, standing with a small smile on her face and a large piece of parchment in her hand.

"Thank you… I guess." Hestia replied meekly.

"Everyone gather around there is an urgent message from Dumbledore and some new rules." Professor McGonagall said as students gathered around her.

While Hestia listened as rules were said about no leaving without an escort and the like her mind wondered where Ginny was. It had been hours since she'd last seen her and Hestia was worried for her cousin's safety.

"_The Chamber of secrets… What is that?" _Hestia thought to herself. _ "Why was Ginny so frisky?"_

"Thank you all for you attention." Professor McGonagall said while pinning the new rules to the pin-board and walking out.

Hestia stumbled up the stairs to her dorm to find Ginny asleep… on her bed. **"Ginny wake up." **Hestia whispered in Elvish nudging Ginny's shoulder gently. Nothing. No movement. Ginny stayed fast asleep.

"Come on." Hestia said giving Ginny one last nudge. Giving up Hestia gently grabbed her pyjamas from under her pillow, got changed and hauled herself into Ginny's bed.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Own no characters with the exception of a few.

A/N: New chapter up soon.

* * *

Professor Lockhart was the most egotistical man Hestia had ever met. In Defence Against the Dark Arts classes all he would talk about was his 'heroic' adventures. His books were rubbish too, just him saying how brilliant is he is.

"Can anyone tell me what I did during chapter 3 _Magical me_?" Professor Lockhart asked while facing a large portrait of himself.

Hestia sat in the middle row of the class next to Daisy and Ginny. She was scribbling on the hideous front cover of her textbook _Magical Me. _The paper cover featured a large picture of Lockhart in a ridiculous outfit. "Being worried about your complexion" Hestia said sarcastically. Around her there were giggles of laughter. Professor Lockhart turned a shade of beetroot.

"Ha ha good one Miss Weasley." Lockhart said uncomfortably "Can anyone actually tell me?" he looked at the class' bored expressions. "No nobody? I recommend you read my other book…"

Hestia looked over to Ginny who was busy writing in the black notebook from before. The page went blank after Ginny wrote in it. "**What kind of magic is that?**" Hestia said in elvish. It was dark magic Hestia knew that for certain. It wasn't middle earth magic but it felt vaguely like Melkor.

Class ended and Ginny ran off without saying goodbye. Her face pale and sickly looking. Daisy was talking to another student about some homework. Hestia decided to take this opportunity to go to the library before quidditch. Wood had invited her to the quidditch Christmas party and Hestia was going to finish copying some texts from Middle Earth into English for a gift.

Hestia got to the library found one of the large wooden tables and sat down with some elvish Middle Earth texts translating them into a blank journal.

"**Eru… what is that word.**" Hestia muttered to herself flicking through her mums book. Hermione walked passed with a stack of books almost as tall as her. Hestia leaned back on her chair. Madame Prince was standing behind Hestia and jolted her chair forward causing Hestia to ram into the table. Hermione jumped and her books scattered everywhere.

"I'm so sorry Hermione." Hestia said rushing to help her pick up the girl pick up her books. "**Hobbits feet these are heavy." **Hestia said in elvish turning to Hermione "Bit of light reading?"

"Ha yeah. It's just some books on…. Hogwarts." Hermione said her voice hushing into a whisper. "Just trying to read up on the… Chamber…. The chamber."

"The Chamber of secrets… pretty scary stuff. Who do you think the heir is?" Hestia asked stacking the thick volumes on the table.

"Could be anyone," Hermione said "My bets on Draco Malfoy. If not him than he must know who it is. I mean you heard him. Saying those awful things about… people like me. You know muggleborn's"

The stack of books had at least 8 books. "Are you copying them out?" Hestia asked Hermione curiously.

"Oh god no." Hermione said her face flushing. She noticed Hestia's books written in elvish. "What is that?"

"Oh just some translations… Quidditch Christmas present. It's a list of magical creatures from middle earth. The majority of the team is doing care of magical creatures." Hestia explained her finger running over the wooden table. Something sharp pricked her finger. "Ow!" Hestia shrieked "Damned wooden tables! Bloody hell."

Her finger was turning bright red. She squeezed her finger trying to get it out. Hermione looked at the table while Hestia tried to pull the splinter out. "You squeamish or something?" Hestia asked while still trying to pull the splinter out.

"No I'm just not sure you should be doing it that way. Why don't we take you to Madame Pomfrey?" Hermione said looking Hestia in the eye.

"Nah it'll be fine it's almost out." Hestia said, her finger going an even deeper shade of red. Percy strode passed their table. "Oi Perc do you have a bobby pin or needle or something?" Hestia said a little too loudly.

"A needle, why the hell would I have a needle?" Percy replied clearly confused.

"I dunno. I just thought you might…" Hestia made an unladylike grunt. "…You seem like the kind of guy who…" another grunt "…who would have a bobby pin or needle on him." Hestia replied now trying to get the splinter out with her teeth. "Aha got it." Hestia said triumphantly. The splinter was quite large and Hestia's hand was quite sore and red.

* * *

Hestia shuffled out of the library towards the hospital wing. Not because she wanted to but because Hermione and Percy insisted she go. She was perfectly fine. There wasn't a splinter in her finger anymore.

"My dear did you pull that out of your finger by yourself? Well done, you can't even tell it was in your finger. "Madame Pomfrey said as she examined Hestia's finger.

"See Hermione nothing to worry about. I'm an expert at getting splinters out of me." Hestia said smugly. "Catheads too. Can I go back to my translations now?"

"Fine, be careful on the tables though." Hermione sighed as they left the hospital wing. She headed up the stairs in the direction of the Gryffindor common room.

"I'll be in the library if you need me." Hestia said looking back at Hermione who was already halfway up the stairs. She ran back to the library where her mother's books were still in the same position. As if she never left. She sat down and continued writing. She was going to finish this by tomorrow if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

Hestia was going to be late for the year group team quidditch trials. She'd been focusing on the present that she'd completely forgotten about it. She ran down the hall towards the quidditch pitch. "Hestia wait up." Luna yelled as she ran up to Hestia. "Where are you running off too?"

"Quidditch trials. Gotta get to them fast. I'm late." Hestia said running faster. "I'll meet up with you later. I need to run something by you."

"Okay. Stay away from the Nargles." Luna said slowing down her pace. "Meet me in the Great Hall."

* * *

Quidditch trials were exhausting. Wood gave no mercy. All of the year was there including Ginny, Daisy and Elanor. Eleanor and Ginny both went for the chaser positions. Hestia had the only confirmed spot on the team but she was pretty sure Ginny was going to be chaser.

As soon as the trials had finished Hestia ran to the dungeons for her detentions. It was one of her last ones and if she was late she would find herself with another.

"Miss Wesley. You made it." Professor Snape said as Hestia ran through the door. "You know what you have to do."

Hestia through open the storeroom door and began sorting the ingredients. Her arms ached from Quidditch trials, her body drenched in sweat. Before long it was time to go. Hestia sneaked in more half empty bottles from the back of the storeroom.

"Goodbye Miss Weasley. I'm sure you've done enough for tonight." Snape said coldly. Hestia raced up the stairs eager to get some food from the Great Hall.

"Weasley. Don't forget Quidditch training tomorrow. First thing. 6 o'clock sharp." Katie Bell called to Hestia from across the table.

"6 o'clock in the morning. Come on." Hestia groaned while piling food on her plate. "Why do we need to have quidditch training at that time?"

"We've got a game on Sunday. Wood wants to be prepared." Katie says shrugging. "Your only reserve but you'll want to be at the game."

"Of course I'll be there. It's Quidditch." Hestia exclaimed. She looked at the food on her plate. The roasted meat was tasty and filling. Seeing Luna walk out, she discreetly walked over to her.

"Hey," The red head said, leaning against the wall where her friend was standing near.

"You avoided the Nargles!" Luna said, hugging her friend. "Of course you avoided the Nargles, they don't like-"

"One more word Luna." Hestia muttered, clamping her hand over her friend's mouth. The blonde nodded rapidly. "I have a theory…"

"Yes?"

"Does Snape's black eyes freak you out?" She whispered, becoming serious, there were some older students that filtered out of the hall, all headed for bed.

"It's different. He can be nice, but his eyes are like yours when he…" Luna replied, before connecting the dots. "You think that he's…"

"Yes." Hestia muttered, catching a glimpse of black robes and greasy black hair walking towards them, a blond by his side. "Shit, abort!" Hes said, preparing to hide.

"Well, Miss Weasley, this is most disappointing to see you sneaking about. Not moving directly to your common room after dinner…" Snape said, his low voice making him sound like her grandfather.

"Well…"

"Silence. Miss Lovegood, this is surprising. It is uncommon for a Ravenclaw such as yourself, to be found plotting with a Gryffindor… 10 points will be taken from your house. Miss Weasley, you shall continue your detention with me for another week. Mr Malfoy was right to voice his concerns." Snape said, glaring at the girls, before moving off. Nero throwing a 'sucked in' look over his shoulder.

"Meet me by the gargoyle in the dungeons in a fortnight. I have a plan…" Hestia said, running off. She didn't want to get in anymore trouble than she was already in.

"I'll see you then Hestia!" Luna called after her. "Be careful of the little crowns!"

"WHAT?!" Hestia said, stopping on the staircase to give her friend a confused look.

"You'll know them when you meet them!"


	9. Chapter 9

DISCLAIMER: WE OWN NOTHING. If we did, we would still be making Harry Potter movies.

Hey guys,

So if you haven't noticed already, I'm not writing much of this story. However, I will be doing the odd chapter, and Bookworm Ali has the plan for it. Again I apologise for not updating much, School got in the way of my creative juices. Ali is doing this as a favour for me, and I'll make sure that when I do write a chapter, that you know.

This chapter is my work,

}{anabell

Middle of Winter

"Anyone seen Hestia?" Katie called, coming out of the lockers.

"I saw her come down here." Angelina replied, walking out onto the pitch, to be stormed past by a very angry Oliver Wood.

"Who dumped our robes onto the bench?!" He exclaimed, seeing the lump of red and gold on a bench. Walking over to the pile, he pulled one robe up with the end of his broom, hoping that it wasn't a Weasley trick. What he saw however, surprised him.

"Hestia…" He whispered, seeing the mop of Weasley red hair, and a shivering 11 year old. "FOUND HER!" He yelled, before pulling one of his own jumpers off, and pulling it down over Hestia's head. God, even her nose was blue. "We need all the jumpers over here!"

"Cold…" Hestia whispered, shivering as she tried to adjust.

"I know." Wood said as the rest of the team arrived, seeing how cold the girl was.

"December means beaches, 40°, and ice cream…" She started. "Not snow…" She finished, as Wood pulled more jumpers over her head. There were 6 jumpers on her at the moment, Harry being told not to give his up as he was almost in the same boat as she was. She was small normally, but now she looked tiny.

"Welcome to the United Kingdom." Fred smiled, sitting down next to her, and wrapping an arm around the mound of jumpers that were on his cousin.

"Don't like it… Australian Academy warmer…" She muttered, hoping that no one had heard that.

"Neither do we!" George affirmed, as his brother finished the thought.

"We're freezing now!"

"Hestia takes precedence." Wood said, taking charge of the situation. "Hes is younger and smaller." He added, before looking at the team, who was now huddled around Hes. "Everyone back up to the castle. Nothing's going to get done today." He finished. Not how he wanted one of the last practices before they faced Hufflepuff to go, but he had to take what he was given.

* * *

"You should eat something, Oliver." Hestia said, as she and her friends arrived for breakfast. It was game day, and Wood was as nervous as ever.

"Wood doesn't eat before the game, Hes." Percy said, eating his own toast.

"Anything he put's in would just come back up with carrots." Fred said, sitting down next to his captain.

"Really?" Colin asked, looking excited at the prospect of getting a photo of the Quidditch captain vomiting.

"No." Wood snapped, putting more food onto Harry's plate, before making sure that Alicia was eating too.

"Well, there was that one time…" George started, before a glare from Wood stopped him.

"I binge after the game." He reasoned.

"That's not healthy." Elanor said, picking her way through her cereal.

"What are you a healer or a first year?" Wood asked, obviously not happy.

"If you don't eat, then I won't." Hestia said firmly, setting her fork down, despite how hungry she was. Snape had had her catalogue where everything was last night, then by the time she arrived at the Hall, she was lucky to be able to get a bread roll.

"Hestia…" Percy warned, not happy at the way his cousin was behaving.

"If I keel over, it's on his head." Hes said firmly as she picked up The Prophet that Gwaihir had just set down on the table.

"Fine…" Wood mumbled, grabbing a bowl of porridge. "It won't be staying down though." He said, begrudgingly.

"Then have some of this." Hestia said, pulling a small parcel from her bag. She hadn't let that bag out of her sight since she started to have detentions with Snape.

"What is it?" He asked, unfolding a bit of it. It looked like a piece of bread. That certainly wouldn't stay down.

"Lembas." Hestia replied, taking a small bite out of another piece.

"What?" Asked those around them

"It's elfish waybread." She said, sighing, remembering that not everyone here knew about Middle Earth. "One small bite is enough to fill a grown man's stomach. It's perfect for forced marches. It keeps almost forever." Hestia explained, gesturing for Wood to take a bite.

"It's actually not bad." He said, nodding, going to take another bite.

"One bite, Wood." Hestia said, pulling the piece of bread away from him.

"I'm in training. I need roughly 5,000 calories a day!" He complained, back to his pre-match frowny face.

"Yeah, well. A Hobbit called Peregrin Took once ate 4 pieces of this stuff and had indigestion all the way down the Anduin." Hes said, looking at Daisy, before adding "That's a river."

"I don't sodding care." Wood said, trying to get it back. Hestia just gave him a firm whack on his padded forearm with a spoon.

"No. Bad Gollum!" She scolded, causing him to smile slightly.

"Fine..." He muttered, checking Percy's watch, before calling the team to leave.

* * *

Hes sat up in the stands, Ginny wasn't feeling up to watching the game, and this was a great experience. Her ada (Dad) had let her watch her first game of Quidditch last year, convincing her mother that it was a good cultural experience. But she'd never seen a Seeker sent off for a minor offense.

Ron had said that this was Madame Hooch they were dealing with here.

"Hagrid, what happens now?" She asked, leaning over the railing slightly.

"'Ell, 'Estia, 'ey 'ave te call in a reserve Seeker." The half giant replied, smiling down at the small girl.

"Who do you think Oliver would call?" Hes asked, with a confused look on her face.

"Could be anyone's guess."

* * *

"Who you calling Wood?" Katie asked, as Harry landed and walked off the pitch. He wouldn't be allowed back on for the rest of the game.

Pursing his lips, Wood made the call of his life. "Fly over to Hes. Tell her to robe up." He said, as the Chaser flew away, "Johnson! Tell McGonagall that we're playing Hes. Fred! Meet your cousin!" He bellowed from the posts. If this didn't pay off quickly, they could lose the house cup. Well, they'd get the wooden spoon anyway. This was Hufflepuff he was talking about.

* * *

"HES!" Katie yelled, pulling up in front of the first year.

"Katie! What's happening?" Hes squeaked, confused as to the rules in this situation, and if Wood wanted a Seeker, he had 5 other older Seekers than her to pick from.

"Wood wants you to robe up and get out onto the pitch!" Katie yelled, over the noise of the crowd.

"But I only have the year robes!" Hes exclaimed.

"Wear them. We won't let them hunt you!" Bell said, "Fred will meet you by the bay. Good luck!" She finished as she flew off, intercepting the quaffle from a Hufflepuff chaser as she went. Hestia sighed as she pushed through the crowd of Gryffindors, trying to get to the lockers. Thankfully Percy had heard most of the conversation.

"MOVE IT! DO YOU WANT TO WIN THIS GAME?!" He yelled, the crowd instantly parted, maybe due to fear of Oliver Wood finding them and killing them.

"Thanks Percy!" Hes yelled as she ran down the stairs, loosening her tie and scarf as she went, by the time she arrived, her shoes were off and her jumper was thrown instantly into her small locker. Pulling on the horrid gold jumper with a single red stripe around the middle, the inverse of the house colours, she had the pants on within seconds and was fastening the dragon-hide padding on her arms. She knew that she wouldn't be able to get anywhere near tight enough.

As she laced up her boots, she felt a tugging at her shoulder pads.

"This is a most surprising turn of events." A voice said, continuing to tighten the protective padding.

"I hope I can do the team proud..." Hestia mumbled, as McGonagall continued to make sure that she was safe, Wood would be double checking in any case.

"I know you can." McGonagall said, leading the girl to the bay where Fred was waiting for them, "That's why I chose you as a Seeker." She winked, handing the girl one of the school's Cleansweeps. "Go get them." She said, shooing the Weasley cousins out onto the field, a small puff of pride filling her chest. She remembered when Jonathon had played Chaser for the house, Gryffindor had been next to unbeatable, some of the teachers wanting to take the team to a professional level. But times were different back then...

* * *

"Wood'll want to check you padding again, though it looks like you pretty much nailed it." Fred said, as he escorted her over to the hoops.

"McGonagall helped." Hes replied, as they arrived.

"Ready for your first house game?" Wood asked, motioning for her to fly closer, and Fred to bugger off.

"No!" Hes squeaked. "I'm wearing different robes to you lot! I am literally a traffic cone!" She said as he did a quick circle around her "They'll head hunt me!" She finished as Wood nodded.

"Who cares?" He asked, finally satisfied that the 11 year old was safe.

"I care! I like being ALIVE!" Hestia retorted, as Alicia scored a goal.

"Well you're safe as long as you stay down this end with me. Katie and Angelina or the twins will come and guide you so it doesn't look suspicious." Wood explained as Lee Jordan was rolling her statistics off the top of his head. She was the 5th Weasley to play for the house team, and most definitely the youngest, beating Fred and George.

"Wood!" Katie yelled, as the Quaffle came hurtling towards them.

"Not on my pitch!" Wood yelled, easily deflecting it. "Go for a lap." he instructed.

"Kay Oliver!" She replied, flying off to join the older girls.

"Since when can anyone call you by your first name on Quidditch day?" George asked, knocking one of the bludgers away from the hoops.

"First game nerves." Wood snapped, head back in the game.

* * *

Hes was just passing the Gryffindor stands when she saw a flash of gold.

"Found you." She hissed, breaking ranks with Katie and Angelina, and wove her way through the Hufflepuff team. Both Bludgers were sent her way, but she dodged as though she had ridden a broom first, then walked. And Cedric Diggory, a boy from Wood's year, was seriously starting to piss her off with his trash talking.

"Playing a game are we, little Gryffindor?" He asked, flying close to her.

"**DIE!**" She yelled, as the twins swooped in like magpies. Hes dodged another bludger and pushed her Cleansweep to the limit. Diggory was on her tail again, his own broom far superior to hers.

"Where you going, little Gryffindor?!" He yelled, catching up to her.

"**RUN!**" She hissed at her broom in elfish, as she watched the snitch change it course- heading towards the Gryffindor posts.

Her broom responded to the simple elfish command, reminding her that it was still an organic broom, unlike the Nimbus 2001's.

* * *

Wood glanced around, making sure that nothing was coming his way when he saw both Hestia and Diggory speeding towards him. "Shit!" He muttered, seeing the determined look on Hestia's face, not once flinching, even when Angelina swooped in and intercepted the Quaffle. This girl was a daredevil, he'd give her that. It made her slightly like Charlie, her older cousin, in that respect. Both bat-shit crazy over the snitch, and if someone was after it, they wouldn't let up.

* * *

"Give up Weasley!" Diggory exclaimed, ramming his broom into Hestia's shoulder. Her father said that you could tell how angry a Weasley got by looking at the shade of red their hair was. And Hestia's was a deep red, almost identical to Ginny's.

"Not in my nature!" Hes shot back, rolling above him, causing him to back off a bit. The snitch was closer to the Gryffindor hoops, and she knew from training that it was damn near unpredictable. She'd have to jump if she was going to grab it before it changed course again. Jumping meant standing and confidence-something she was still working on.

"_C'mon Madame Hooch! That was a foul if ever I saw one!_" Came Lee Jordan's commentary over the stadium. "_She's 11! Skin and Bone practically! And that was her shoulder!_" He added, cussing as she flew past. Adjusting her position to one she'd seen Harry take in training, Hestia shot past the Ravenclaw stands, the house shouting for both teams. Legolas was Sindar, she was Noldor and Quenya as well as Sindar. If he could defy the laws of Physics then so could she.

* * *

"SHIT!" Wood yelled, seeing Diggory pull away from the high speed chase. Hestia had adjusted her position to one that read that she was about to stand up. As an added bonus, there was a Quaffle inbound as well. Why did he have to make these hard moral decisions? He was a bloody Keeper and the captain of the team, for God's sake, not an ethics' student. That was Alicia's job.

Either way, he'd have to be quick if he was going to be able to take out the Quaffle and then grab Hestia. _Keepers don't do that type of quick. _He though as they both got closer. The majority of his team was up the other end, distracting Hufflepuff. They wouldn't be able to get back here that quickly.

* * *

"What's happening?!" Colin asked Hagrid from where they were up in the stands, the Gryffindor posts were down the other end of the pitch, and it was getting difficult to see exactly what was happening.

"'Estia's stood up on 'er broom!" The half giant narrated, taking a second look through his binoculars to make sure.

"What?" Colin yelled, making sure his camera was ready for a picture.

"You blind her and the entire team will kill you." Elanor said firmly, reefing the object away from his hands.

"But she's soo far away!" Colin complained.

"Sensitive eyes, moron." She stated, giving Colin a challenging look that said 'I dare you…'

"Fine." The boy pouted, as Daisy finally processed the information.

"Is she gunna do it?" She squeaked, her eyes screwed shut.

"I can't tell, but the Keeper looks like he's having a problem." Elizabeth said, hugging her Tookish friend. Neither of them were watching, and despite not being major followers of the sport, but understanding the basics of it, or at least being Chasers. They had all heard stories about the sport. The team positions with the highest death rates were Seeker and Keeper, due to the risks they both took. Chasers were a close third, according to Percy.

What surprised them more was that Elanor was now standing on Seamus Finnigan, a second year's, shoulders, both were standing exceptionally close to the railing. Then they both roared

"YOU CATCH THAT GOLDEN BALL OF SHITE HESTIA!" over the top of the normal Go go chear.

* * *

"Here goes." Hes muttered, standing up. She'd climbed thousands of trees before, and jumped of random places in Rivendell, when she was there. Springing off the broom and towards the posts, her feet found Fred's head. A stepping stone as such. Using it effectively, she started into a roll, channelling a torpedo as she flew towards the snitch. Reaching out, she felt a small metal object in the centre of her palm. Only problem now was that she didn't have a broom, the twins were up the other end of the pitch now, Wood had an incoming Quaffle and no Hufflepuff would be wanting to help her.

"ERU!" She yelled, a scream starting as she lost her momentum and started to fall.

* * *

Hestia's scream permeated around the pitch, and reminded Wood how young she was…

Hurling the Quaffle away with the wicker part of his broom, he sped across to Hestia. Grabbing her right wrist, the same side where Diggory had rammed her earlier, she stopped with a jerk, thankfully there was no pop from her shoulder. She grabbed onto his wrist as he tried to keep his broom from capsizing. Both of her eyes were screwed shut.

"HES! Eyes open!" He commanded, keeping all his focus on the girl. Her left eye opened, basically all pupil with only a slither of stormy grey around the outside. "BOTH EYES!" Wood yelled, as the right eye soon followed.

"Ollie…" Hestia whimpered, looking down. They were about 100 metres up in the air, and granted for someone who had been dropping only a few seconds ago, seeing your feet dangling and your only support or stable object was on a broom himself, and holding you by your wrist, it was scary. Hestia was taking this well.

"Don't look down! And don't let go!" He yelled, getting her focus back on him, ignoring the use of his nickname. Right now she needed Wood, the Quidditch captain, not Ollie or Oliver, her friend.

"Scared…" Was all he managed to make out as she started to mutter in elfish.

"HES! I'M NOT LETTING YOU GO!" Wood exclaimed, now seeing her stormy eyes look up at him. Now he had her complete attention, he could try to move her. "I'm gonna try to pull you up!" He added, tightening his grip on her wrist. His palms were sweaty from the game, and the only grip he was getting was from his gloves. His fingers were barely gripping her jumper, but hers were strong. How she was managing to keep his grip was amazing. As he began to pull that arm up, she suddenly screamed again, and as much as he hated to admit it Wood almost dropped her.

"What's wrong?!" He yelled, as the entire school watched them.

"ARM! **DIGGORY BLOODY BRUISED IT!**" She yelled, as she moved her legs, trying to find a foothold. Seeing what she was doing, he stuck his right boot out. Hes found the foothold, and placing nearly all of her weight on it, she swung up. First swinging a little to the left, before swinging herself up behind him.

"You okay?" Wood asked, the Quidditch captain turning into her friend again. All he got in response was a small nod. "Scared?" another nod. "I gotcha." Wood smiled, as the rest of the team started to move in, now that Hes was remounted on a broom. Even Harry was back out on the pitch.

"VICTORY LAP!" Fred yelled, swinging his beaters bat in the air. Completely ignoring the fact that his youngest cousin had almost died. And that Wood wouldn't be spending 4 hours in the showers.

"Wanna victory lap?" Wood asked, as Hes hugged his torso, giving him a small nod. "Smile kid! You just won your first game in style!" He smiled.

"Still sinking in, Ollie." She replied, as the Gryffindor team flew around the pitch, Hestia's left hand still grasping the snitch, as they did the celebratory lap.

"Tell nobody about that nickname. And don't say it in public." Wood said, as they zipped around the pitch, now passing the teacher's stand. Even professor Snape was clapping for the Gryffindor's win. Hes managed to get a good look at his eyes. Grey like hers.

"Sure, Ollie." Hes smirked as they landed near where her discarded Cleansweep was. When they walked back over to where the rest of the team had landed, Hestia was lifted onto Fred and George's shoulders.

The look Wood had sent her read "You say that again and I will drop you from the team." Wood glared at her then his face broke out in a huge smile.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N

Hello Fellow readers

So I have been MIA lately and I'm sorry. I've been travelling and the internets been crappy

It was a couple of days after Gryffindor's win when Hes finally saw the rest of the team again. And because it was getting colder, it being mid-November now, Oliver had told her to not bother coming to Morning practice-she'd just freeze. The evening practices, however, were something she could do. The days were warmer by then, and Hes didn't need to rug up as much. Although, she was still wearing the majority of her winter wardrobe. As she walked down through the castle, there were a few stray Hufflepuffs, still sore from the loss. And Nero Malfoy.

"HEY! BLOOD TRAITOR!" He yelled, as she walked past him.

"Orc" Hestia muttered, keeping her head down, trying to ignore him. It was difficult though, when he ran after her.

"I was talking to you." He said, keeping pace with the girl.

"And I'm not in the mood to talk to you." Hestia replied, turning the collar of her jacket up as she left the castle's halls.

"You're like the rest of them!" He yelled after her retreating form.

"At least I have a family to support me, MELKOR!" She yelled, now running down to the lockers. Her parcel held securely to her chest. It was a small book on the different magical creatures of Middle Earth. The fourth years were learning about the creatures of the different cultures, so it made sense, that because nearly the entire team was in their fourth year, that she give it to them. It wasn't the original, she'd copied it herself, writing in her best writing. It certainly was in no way neat, but it was better than her father's chicken scratching, and worse than her mother's neat hand. Being leftie didn't help with matters either.

As she arrived at the locker room, she pulled off her scarf, and threw it into her locker.

"Hey guys!" She smiled walking over to where the rest of her team was.

"Finally!" Fred exclaimed, as she sat down on the pile of rugs and cushions that were now in the corner. All the team, minus George and Alicia were present. But it wasn't long until the other two appeared with a couple of plates of food, mostly sweets.

"I thought we'd be training…" Hestia said, sitting next to Angelina and Fred, as she took her beanie off.

"This is the one training a year when we don't train. We party." Geroge said, sitting next to his twin and Harry.

"Sorry I'm late. Had a problem trying to wrap my present." Wood called, running in. Hes was sure that he'd already be down here, so the thought of him following her down to the pitch was surprising. And slightly funny too. "Right so, everyone bar Hestia knows how this works?" He asked, putting a parcel down next to where he was sitting. "Sod it, forgot the hat." Wood muttered. Tapping his own jacket pockets.

"Use Hestia's." Harry said, leaning across to grab Hestia's beanie.

"Oi!" The half elf yelled, as her Australian National Team beanie was pulled away from in front of her.

"Not my favourite team, but it'll have to do." Wood said, tipping a couple of note slips into the woollen knit.

"Oh god, it's not Puddlemere United colours." Angelina sassed, mocking shock as she threw her hands into the air.

"Puddlemere happens to be a very good team, Angie." Wood shot at his team mate.

"We jest, Wood." George said as he helped himself to a chocolate frog.

"Yeah, right. Just because Ireland got its arse kicked." The captain shot at the twin. "Hes, draw a name from the hat. That's who you give your present to." He explained, offering her the beanie.

"Okay…" She replied, pulling one of her twists behind her ears. While she wasn't allowed to wear the braids of the Noldor, she could wear the style in twists, and if anyone had any knowledge of elves, then they'd know she was a warrior in training. She had only recently been allowed to start wearing them, according to her grandfather, she was the youngest elleth to have ever worn them. Luthien, her mother, hadn't been much of a warrior, and so hadn't worn the braids of Rivendell.

"C'mon Hes, who'd you get?" Alicia said, eating a sweet roll.

"Katie!" Hes smiled, passing her package to the Chaser. It was small compared some of the other packages that her teammates had brought.

"Thank's Hes!" The older girl smiled, knowing how hard it was for anyone below third year to get a present. Anything small was often heartfelt. As she tore the wrapping paper, she found a small book, leather bound, written in neat, yet still legible sloping writing. It was easy to tell that it was Hestia's handiwork.

"Merry Christmas!" The first year smiled, as more gifts were passed around. Fred had managed to pull George's name out of the beanie. Alicia was protesting loudly as to the fact that the next year, the twins shouldn't be allowed to draw each other's name from the hat.

"Who'd you giving that to Wood?" Angelina asked, handing their captain a packet of muggle nutrition packs. Apparently, according to her father, the muggles used them to put on weight quickly.

"Angie, what in Merlin's beard are these?" He asked, holding one of the silver packets up.

"Nutrition packs. You can bulk up on them really quickly." Angie replied, smiling at her friend, who was now giving her a dirty.

"You saying something about my sodding weight, Johnson?" He said in mock shock.

"Not at all Wood." She smiled back, knowing that he would be making good use of the gifts throughout the year.

"I'm giving this to Hes." He muttered, seeing Hestia explaining the small gift to Kaitie. Apparently she had copied the original elfish text, and translated it to English so that it they would be able to read it. "Oi HES!" He yelled, holding up his poorly wrapped parcel.

"Yeah Wood?" She called back, pausing her conversation with Kaitie.

"Merry Christmas or whatever you lot call it in Australia." He smiled, handing her the package. He'd spent about an hour trying to wrap it, but in the end had given up, and as a result, the paper was sticking out at bizarre angles. He'd had to sneak out of the castle late yesterday, and really leg it down to Hogsmedae to pick up the package at the quality quidditch supplies outlet in the village. He worked at the main store in Diagon Alley during the summer holidays, and therefore got a discount on any purchase he made. This time, he'd payed the same price, and they'd dropped the postage cost. In all, he still payed a lot for this.

"We still call it Christmas, my granda calls it Yule though." Hes said, setting the package down in front of her. Wood obviously didn't know how to wrap, which was funny to think about. The great Gryffindor Quidditch captain lacked simple skills. Tearing the package open, she was surprised to see a bundle of jumpers. They looked thin, but well woven. There was an earthy green one, a couple of blues, but the majority were in Gold and Scarlet. Gryffindor colours. And a pair of thick socks.

"Wow, Wood." She started, unsure what to say. She had jumpers like this.

"Oh my god!" Katie exclaimed, seeing the brand on the back of one of the jumpers. "These are amazing." She added, holding one up, while Alicia discreetly removed the receipt, bewitching the paper not to show the prices, sending Wood a disgusted look.

"I don't understand…" Hestia said, looking confused at the surprise the team was showing, and Wood blushing slightly.

"Hes, that's top of the line Quidditch gear." Fred said, looking at her. He'd never be able to afford something like this, ever.

"You are never going to be cold again." George added, finishing his brother's thought.

"Eru… Thankyou Oliver!" She yelled, running over to hug him. When she got to him, she wrapped her arms around him. The entire team was surprised when Wood hugged the small red head back. The quidditch captain hardly showed emotions, especially when it had something to do with the team.

"You're welcome Hestia." He smiled, as the team called a dog pile on the captain. Fred barely managing to remove his younger cousin as they ran at the Scotsman.

Looking at Harry, who was pouting away from the group, Hestia tried to seem nice. "Shall we join?" She asked, eyebrow raising slightly as she pointed to the pile.

"Fine." Harry said, jumping on George while Hestia flopped down on Angelina.

Hestia pulled out the quidditch clothes that Wood had given her. She'd gotten in late last night, Angelina, Alicia and Katie refusing to let her go to bed until she'd come off the sugar induced high. It had taken them until 3:00 to get her sleepy, and the boys had taken her for a run, before they even got back up to the castle. The Gold and Scarlet top that she grabbed was warm when she put it on, despite being left on the back of her chair, all night.

"Well, they were right…" Hestia muttered, as she grabbed her beanie and house scarf, before heading out to the pitch. This was the last official training that the team held before the Christmas holidays. The receipt was still with them, in case something didn't fit. Although, the jumper she'd worn on the impromptu run last night fitted like a glove. And although she couldn't go home for Christmas, her dad had offered answers to her theory, via Gwaihir. Coded… But in that code he'd sent her a potion that he thought would be useful for her situation. Jogging down the stairs from her dorm, she ran through the common room, past Percy, who was just coming in from his morning rounds.

"HESTIA WEASLEY!" He yelled, face turning a similar shade of red to his hair, "SLOW DOWN!"

"Can't, I'm late!" She yelled back, skidding around the corner, out the portrait hole and down the stairs to the pitch. Wood had given her a locker down in the change room, she had the only safe spot on the first year team, being the seeker.

"You warm?" Wood asked, seeing the girl run down to the pitch in a beanie and scarf.

"YES!" She huffed, out of breath from the run from the top of the castle, "Where can I get the socks in grey?" Hes added, pointing at her feet.

"The main shop, Quality Quidditch supplies, is in Diagon Alley, but they have a small outlet up here in Hogsmeade." Wood said, handing her a Cleansweep.

"So send a shopping list in with the twins?" She asked, kicking off.

"Safer with me." Oliver said, "I have a part time job there over the summer. Employees discount."

"Cool, I'll owl you if in need something." She said, smiling before adding, "I still banned from jumping off my broom?"

"Yes." Wood replied, giving the child a hard glare. "You took about 10 years off my life when you did that. You going to the Burrow for the holidays?" He asked, hoping to get some training in with the other Weasley's on the team. He didn't live too far from the house, and Molly had considered him a child since Charlie had put him on the Gryffindor team.

"No, apparently my aunt and uncle are going to Egypt to visit one of my cousins. Bill I think… Mum and Dad are still in Australia. So it looks like I'll be here." Hestia replied, flying upside down as she talked to the captain.

Laughing at her antics, particularly how her hair fell down in the plait she was currently wearing, Wood set her upright, before saying. "That's good. You can come and join us for the Christmas training sessions."

"I thought this was the last one for this year…" Hestia said, swinging her leg across so that she was flying like the muggle representation of witches.

"Officially yes. We train whoever stays over the holidays." Wood smiled, before adding, "And if you're going to wear that badge, we better go over some plays."

"What badge?" Hes asked, looking confused. Katie Bell was flying close by and began throwing the quaffle towards Wood. He caught it and through it back to her. She tucked it under one arm and her two braids flying behind her as a gust of wind picked up.

As Katie swooped in, again throwing the quaffle in Woods direction, she pointed at the badge on Hestia's jumper. "That badge, captain." The older girl smiled, sending a small smile at Wood, knowing that it was one of his old ones.

"What?" Hestia exclaimed, almost falling off her broom. "I'm a quidditch captain!"

"Yeah." Wood said, before adding, "And the second Weasley seeker/captain combination that we've had in a couple of years." Smiling, he beaconed Harry and the other chasers over. "That's enough for now!" He yelled, as they moved back up to the castle.

Arriving, Hestia was surprised to hear the shutters of a camera go off, but didn't see white as she usually would.

"I turned the flash off." Colin said, holding up the bulb from the camera.

"It was amazing to see." Ginny added, hugging her cousin, "He just unwound it, and it no longer flashes. Tried it out on Daisy too." She explained, whispering in her ear, "How does it feel to be the youngest quidditch captain in history?"

"Amazing…" Hestia answered, just as quiet, although she couldn't shake the sound of something going through the pipes. And it wasn't the normal noises that water made. "Can you hear something in the pipes?" She asked, hoping to get an answer.

"No. I can't hear anything." Ginny said, pulling away and answering far too quickly for Hestia not to be suspicious.

LINEBREAK

It was just Ginny and Hestia in the dorm over Christmas and as Hestia's parents were still in Australia and her Aunt Molly and Uncle Arthur were in Egypt visiting one of Ginny's older brothers Bill so the girls couldn't go to the Burrow for Christmas. Hestia had been looking forward to seeing the Burrow. Ginny had described it so well. When Hestia told her she'd been looking forward to seeing it Ginny gave her a funny look.

"Its falling apart at the seams. It's a dump. You'd prefer there over here." Ginny exclaimed "Its home but I mean we live in a castle here. A magical castle Hes. With moving staircases."

"I know but I mean seriously Ginny it sounds amazing. You live with gnomes and you have a quidditch field in the backyard." Hestia replied. Ginny opened her mouth to speak "Yes it's not entirely proper but you still play quidditch on it." Hestia finished before Ginny could speak.

Hestia looked around the almost empty dorm. Everyone had gone home for Christmas and it was just Ginny and her in their dorm. Hestia took this opportunity to warm up a bit.

Daisy and Elanor both had both had hot water bottles which mysteriously every night were filled up and placed in their beds before they got there. They'd both been left on each of the girls beds and Hestia had taken the opportunity of an empty dorm to put them to good use. Daisy and Elanor wouldn't have minded.

So on Christmas Eve Hestia crawled into bed with three hot water bottles. She'd had her mum send her over one and she was still cold. She missed her mum, her dad too. It was Christmas when they'd go to New Zealand to visit her Mums family or when her dad would teach Hestia about all the things he'd learnt and about new muggle items he'd discovered. With three hot water bottles her bed got very cosy and she fell asleep fairly quickly.

LINEBREAK

"Hes," a tap on the shoulder. "Hes, wake up its Christmas." Ginny pushed her cousin's arm.

"Don't wanna get up its….warm, go…. Away." Hestia mumbled sleepily. Ginny tugged at the quilt on Hestia's bed. She yanked it hard, pulling it all the way off the bed sending it onto a crumbling heap on the floor. Ginny then yanked Hestia's sheets off to find her cousin surrounded by three very large hot water bottles.

"Oh God Hes. You can't be that cold. Get up its Christmas. Everyone's waiting for us." Ginny said as she pried Hestia's finger off the hot water bottles and dragged her out of bed.

"Christmas should be summer- NOT WINTER." Hestia exclaimed clambering down the stairs to the common room.

"Hestia you finally made it." Fred said as she walked into the room. Harry, Ron, Percy and George were sitting on armchairs passing presents to each other. "We've got presents for you."

"You got me presents? You didn't have to get me presents." Hestia gushed sitting down between Percy and George.

"The boys didn't get you a present Hes. Mum sent you something. Probably a jumper. Food if you're lucky." Ginny replied smacking Fred on the back of his head playfully. She picked up the presents from her brothers hands and tossed them to Hestia. "There's some from your parents too."

"Thanks Ginny." Hes said ripping open the paper of her Aunt Molly. There was a woollen sweater inside in an amazing blue colour. Hestia pulled it on over her head. It was huge. The arms were really big and it hung down near her knees.

"Um. I somehow don't think this is mine." Hestia said laughing.

"RON! What happened to my sweater?" Harry ran down the stairs wearing a bright green sweater with a gold kangaroo on it. It was way too small- the sleeves were halfway up his arms. It was almost identical to the Australian national quidditch team's jersey- Hestia's favourite team.

Ron burst out laughing. "Bloody hell. I haven't done anything I swear." Harry looked over to the twins.

"No us sorry mate." Fred said trying not to contain his laughter. "We can't wrap to save ourselves."

"Or knit!" George put in.

"God Boys no body did any thing to anyone. Mum must've just got the wrapping mixed up that's all. Remember when she messed up George and me in the twins first year. That was a nightmare. You guys had stayed here for Christmas and you had to send the sweater all the way home." Ginny said laughing at the boys. "Poor mum felt awful. You two just swap and we'll go eat."

Hestia and Harry pulled off their sweaters and tossed them to each other. "They're really nice jumpers." Hestia said feeling the beautiful wool.

"Hes that's a sweater not a jumper. A jumper's one of those dress things. You know that thing that goes over blouses." Percy said walking past Hestia towards the fat lady portrait. "Now excuse me I have important things to do." With that he walked out the door.

"Well in Australia jumpers are sweaters Mr I'm so important." Hestia called out to Percy "Christmas is family time isn't it? Percy being a git by just walking out on us. Is he always like that?"

"Yep every holidays- usually its worse though. Mostly just hides on his room." Ginny replied grabbing Hestia's arm. "Lets go eat." Ginny's hand was cold to touch and Hestia felt a chill go down her spine.

Something dark was coming. Hestia knew it. The writing on the wall, the petrified cat, Ginny being here one minute gone the next. Hestia had to find out what was going on and soon.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Own very little characters just Hestia, Nero etc

Authors Note:

Hi Readers

Sorry this is really late but I've had a lot of stuff to do school wise at the moment. so thank you for being patient. New chapters up soon.

* * *

**Six Months later.**

Even since before Christmas things weren't right at Hogwarts. The petrification's, the writing on the wall. Hestia knew there was dark magic around. It was now late July and there had been so many petrification's. First, Mrs Norris that stupid cat and then poor Colin Creevy- That was devastating for Hestia and Ginny- then Nearly Headless Nick and Justin Finch-Fletchley.

Hestia didn't see the use of sitting around waiting for a miracle- Professor Sprout was trying to grow the Mandrakes as quickly as she could for Madame Pomfrey so she decided she'd set to work with Luna. After their first visit to the gargoyle months ago they'd decide to brew a rare potion that if brewed correctly could reveal exactly what was up with Professor Snape. The girls decided they would brew it in moaning Myrtles bathroom because nobody ever went in there with Myrtle in there all the time.

"Alright Luna let's see what we need." Hestia said sitting around the cauldron that they'd placed in the stall furthest from the door. She reached into her satchel and pulled out her Dad's old journal. "Let's see…Arda Possession Reversal Potion… Part one- will approximately take 1 year to brew. Ok….One jar of toad eyes, two bottles of unicorn blood, and two pieces of Oak wood. Using Mortar crush into paste and place in cauldron with a cup of pumpkin juice. Stir 12 times clockwise and heat on low for 7 hours checking and stirring twice." As Hestia read Luna added the ingredients.

"Ok so what exactly will this potion do again?" Luna asked on her 10th stir of the potion.

"It's like the opposite of a polyjuice potion. It can undo any spell, potion or if a person's being possessed and it changes them back into themselves. That's what my dad's book says anyway." Hestia replied. She looked at her watch. "Ok so we have to come back in say 3 hours to stir it again so that's… 5 o'clock this evening and then at 9 tonight. I'll come back at 9 if you could come back at 5. I've got quidditch till 8:30 and everybody's doing something for Harry's birthday."

"Ok. Have fun at quidditch." Luna said getting up and pushing everything as far into the stall as possible. "Goodbye Myrtle." She said looking up at the ghost who had been watching them.

* * *

"Alright. Hello everybody. I'm Hestia… I mean duh you all know that. Ummm. Oliver Wood and I decided that now would be as good as time as ever to form the First Years Quidditch teams. It won't just be for our first year though. These will kind of be sub teams for the regular house quidditch. Madame Hooch has kindly let us use the flying classes' brooms until next year when we can have our own." Hestia stood in front of her whole year- Gryffindor's, Hufflepuffs, Slytherins and Ravenclaws. "With everything going on we thought it might do us some good to mix and get to know each other." Wood stood next to her beaming.

"Anybody who would like to join please write your name, house and preferred position down. We'll tell you when we're holding tryouts, but they'll be soon. We would like to say at this point that it will be until your all a little more experienced a modified version on Quidditch- so not as many bludgers and a slower snitch things like that. You will have members of the house teams and Madame Hooch coaching." Wood said a little too excitedly.

Members of all four houses got up and walked towards the sheet of parchment. "Hey Hes, how many kids in your year?" Wood whispered to her.

"Um I dunno about 55 or so I think." Hestia replied.

Wood whistled. "That's bigger than usual. It usually sits around 40 I think. That means you'll have a couple of teams." Wood said happily as more students put their names on the sheet of parchment and left the pitch heading back towards the castle.

"Don't get excited Wood- there's only a quarter or so on here enough for two teams with a couple subs. Wow, there's a lot of Gryffindor boys. Lots of Hufflepuffs girls and some Slytherins." Hestia replied scanning the pages.

"How many from Ravenclaw?" Wood asked, eyebrow raised, knowing that they were usually responsible for very good Quidditch teams.

"Ummm, only Luna and someone called James Chase." Hestia replied, looking sceptical, "If this works we should do it for all of the years- have sub teams you know?"

"Hmmm. Yeah brilliant idea. Come up to the change rooms when your done up here. I want to go through some stuff for next week's game against Ravenclaw." Wood said as he packed away the parchment and headed back towards Madame Hooch's office to give it to her to work out the tryout times. Ginny, Luna and two other students who Hestia hadn't met before stood waiting for her.

"Great Job Hestia." Luna said. She leaned over and whispered in her ear "potions ready to be stirred when you are."

Ginny reached over and hugged her cousin. "Yeah great work. This is Amy she's a Hufflepuff student in our year and this is Maxine, from the Slytherin house. Despite what Fred and George say Slytherin isn't so bad."

"Pleasure to meet you both." Hestia said extending her hand to each girl. "We must have all the boys in our house, because there are like barely any in any other house. Either that or they just don't like Quidditch."

Maxine looked anxiously behind her as if someone was watching her. "Well it was nice meeting you Hestia. It's really cool what your doing-"

"Let me guess you reckon your mates will think your stupid or something for talking to a couple of 'non-Slytherin' like us?" Hestia said.

"Well yeah…. And my dad wants me to kind of hang with the Malfoys and that Parkinson girl." Maxine replied shyly "But I really hope I get in to your team or any team really." With that she walked back towards the castle and her Slytherin friends.

Amy the Hufflepuff was obviously very shy she whispered something in Luna's ear and began playing with her robe sleeve.

"Amy says it was a pleasure to meet you all but she also must depart- she promised to help Professor Sprout with some Herbology stuff and really must be going." Luna said on her behalf. "I too must go- Owls to send back to my father about this month's issue of the Quibbler."

"See you Luna, nice meeting you Amy." Hestia called after them. She turned and walked to the changing rooms. Ginny stood perfectly still in the same spot. "Come on Ginny. You can come too I'm sure Wood wouldn't mind."

"I've um got to go… See Professor McGonagall, there's something I need to tell her." Ginny replied stiffly. She ran off back towards the castle.

* * *

Hestia wasn't even sure why she needed to go to the meeting. She didn't really need to be there. Harry was fit enough to play and Hes couldn't play any other position other than seeker so halfway through she snuck away to go stir her potion and catch up on some potions homework.

As she stirred the potion she heard the bathroom door swing open. She peeped her head out slightly to check who it was and saw Ginny holding her diary. Her face white with terror in an almost trance like state. Hestia creeped up behind her. **"Throw the book, throw it away."** She whispered in her cousin's ear in elvish.

Ginny jumped startled and the book went flying behind her landing in the toilet nearby. She ran from the bathroom a look of joy on her face. Behind Hestia the ghost of Myrtle Warren began crying and wailing. Hestia packed up her satchel and pushed her cauldron behind the toilet where it was out of sight and headed back to the Common room.

She turned the corridor and was half way to the Fat Lady portrait when she heard moaning and grumbling. She turned to see a couple of students with very wet feet clearly having just walked past the bathroom. "Bugger the bathroom flooded" Hestia muttered. She had to go move her Cauldron in case Filch saw it.

She headed back towards the bathroom when she heard something moving. She stopped her hear towards the wall. Then a hiss. She jumped back, right into the twins. "Why so jumpy Hes," Fred asked her.

"Boys I need your help." Hestia said grabbing them by the wrist. "I need your help to hide this." She pointed to the cauldron. The boys looked at each other and smiled.

"Well Hestia dear cousin," George said "Where do you want it hidden?"  
"Anywhere." Hestia replied. Fred whispered something in George's ear and reached for something in his pocket.

"Here take this until you find somewhere to hide it." Fred said handing her a piece of blank parchment.

"It's blank. Is this some kind of joke?" Hestia said getting annoyed.

"No no look. Say the woods I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good and tap it with your wand. It's bewitched. See?" George said giving a demonstration. "And to make it go blank say mischief managed." He handed it too Hestia. "Take good care of it though and we'll need it back soon."

"Thanks so much guys." Hestia exclaimed taking it and opening it. She looked at the routes and found where she was standing and a passage nearby. "So nobody will find it…" Hestia looked up and the boys were gone.

Hestia wandered the corridors looking for the passageway. Eventually she found it opened it and placed her cauldron in it before racing back to her dorm.

* * *

It was the morning of the quidditch match and also the day training would begin for the First year's game. A quarter or so of Hestias year were gathered on the pitch waiting for Madame Hooch to start tryouts and to start sorting them into teams.

"Alright there are around 16 of you here that's 2 teams plus 1 sub per team. We will begin with seeker trials." Madame Hooch said. "Hestia Weasley, James Chase and…. Oh that's it for seekers, right. On my whistle get off the ground and try and catch this as fast as you can." Madame Hooch held up a golf ball.

She blew her whistle and hurled two Golf balls in the air. Hestia raced out grabbing the first one with James grabbing the second straight after.

Madame Hooch signalled for them to come back in and called up the Chasers. Next up were the Keepers, then finally the Beaters. After the tryouts Madame Hooch called out their teams:

"Team Number 1- We will think of a better name later

Seeker: Hestia Weasley

Chasers: Ginny Weasley, Maxine Drakle and Luna Lovegood,

Keeper: Lillian Hipplan

Beaters: Amy Dixon, John Quillman

Sub: Rachel Spark

Team 2

Seeker: James Chase

Chasers: Josie Tippet, Daisy Took and Emile Pincer

Keeper: Alix Killian

Beaters: Elizabeth Gardener and Christopher Schnilter

Sub: Nero Malfoy"

"What!" Nero stood up and marched over to Madame Hooch. "I'm a sub?" Madame Hooch tried to silence him "I'm better than any of these filthy players. I should be Keeper!"

"SILENCE! Mr Malfoy would you like to discuss this in my office over a detention because that's where you're heading." Madame Hooch yelled pointing back towards the castle. "The rest of you listen to Wood and the other Captains."

"Alright let's see how you play shall we?" Wood exclaimed.

* * *

Hestia stood next to Luna in the crowded Quidditch stands. According to Ron somebody had broken into the boy's dorm the night before and left an awful mess. Everybody waited anxiously in the stands. Hestia looked at her watch, the game was supposed to have started 15 minutes ago. Luna pointed to the pitch where professor McGonagall was heading towards the Change rooms.

"Excuse me everybody, ummm really sorry but uh Quidditch has been cancelled and we've been asked to report back to our common rooms." Lee Jordan's voice came from the speakers. There were groans from the crowd followed by the sound of shuffling as everybody went to back to the castle.

Luna grabbed Hestia by the sleeve "Where's Ginny? What do you thinks happened?" She asked.

"I don't know Luna I don't know." Hestia replied scanning the crowd for anybody she knew. She spotted Ron "HEY where's Ginny?" she called out.

"Bloody hell no clue. She said she didn't feel well but I haven't seen her since breakfast. She was holding her diary when I saw her though." Ron replied slowing down to catch his cousin.

'_The diary'_ thought Hestia '_She threw it in the toilet though. No she wouldn't have stolen it back from Harry after he found it would she?'_ She reached the common room and flopped onto a chair and picked up one of her dads journals. She had to find what was in that diary and what was it doing to Ginny.


	12. Chapter 12

Hestia was working of finding Ginny- no on had seen her since yesterday and if they had she hadn't said a word and rushed off in a daze. Percy said he'd seen her and gave her some Pepperup Potion and told her to "get over her cold" but the trail ended there. After looking for her for hours Hestia decided to head to her Potion and check on it

_Add Pumpkin Juice and octopus powder. Stir in. Leave potion for 6 weeks. After six weeks Split the potion into two smaller cauldrons, in one cauldron add Leech juice and spiders and leave for two months In the other cauldron add honey water and Spiders. Stir well until it forms a porridge paste leave it separately to the other cauldron. _

Hestia heard a knock on the wall and she opened the passage way door. Luna stood infront of her with a wicked grin on her face. "Coast is clear let's move these things." She said. Hestia grabbed the cauldron and followed Luna back to Myrtles bathroom. They passed Professor Lockhart racing towards his office with a look of sheer terror on his face. He gave them no notice. The girls reached the bathroom and placed the cauldron down in the regular stall. 

"Ok So I was just reading the instructions it says we have to add the pumpkin juice broth- have you got it?" Hestia asked Luna. The blonde gave a little nod and handed Hestia a very large bottle one similar to a fire whiskey. Hestia poured it in and stirred. She looked at Luna. Who was now reading the instructions herself. "Um Hestia we don't have a second cauldron do we?"

"No we don't but dads got like 30 somewhere so I'll grab a few in case we need some." Hestia said. "We don't need them till six weeks anyway."

Hestia suddenly looked up. She could hear two.. no three sets of feet coming in. She stood up. Wand in hand she jumped out ready to hex the intruders, but only to find Harry, Ron and Professor Lockhart were standing in front of a basin staring at it intently. Harry whispered something. Hestia jumped back out of sight.

Suddenly a secret passage opened leading beneath the sink opened up- Harry, Ron and Lockhart all went down. Hestia looked at Luna who gave her an encouraging smile. "Luna Ginny could be down there. I need to help her." Hestia said as she walked towards the entrance which was beginning to close

"Hestia be careful and beware of the little crowns." Luna warned.

"Little crowns? What do you mea-" Hestia said as she disappeared into the dark tunnel. She slid down and landed with a thump on the ground.

"Lumos…" she whispered and the dark passageway became light. There was a maze of so many tunnels and passages ahead of her. To her left she heard a loud crash and she race towards the noise. She reached a large pile of rubble, panting out of breath. She looked around and saw Ron and Professor Lockhart.

Lockhart was collapsed in a heap and Ron was desperately moving rocks with his hands. Hestia tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Ah!" Ron shrieked turning to see his cousin. "Oh it's you. Wait what are you doing here?" He said.

Hestia explained how she was in the bathroom and she wanted to see what was going on and how she though Ginny might be down here.

Ron was making very little progress on the rubble and Hestia didn't know any spells to move it. "God I wish Hermione was here." Ron said.

"I saw some other entrance ways on my way here I'll go and check for some way I can help Ginny and Harry." Hestia said "you stay here and keep moving stuff."

"Why me?" Ron asked. Watching his cousin run back up the corridor

"Cause I can't stand Lockhart." Hestia said laughing.

Hestia found another way further up the tunnel into The depth of the chamber. Hestia race up and saw the enormous statue of Salzar Slytherin and giant snake following Harry. She stared at it petrified. "Giant Snake, Giant snake." She mumbled to herself, scanning the room for Ginny. She spotted her unconscious near the statue.

She thought of grabbing her but the thought was dismissed as she saw the danger she would be in if she did. Suddenly Hestia heard a loud squawk and looked up at a phoenix, carrying the sorting hat. Harry reached in and from the hat grabbed a sword. It must have been the legendary sword of Godric Gryffindor . Hestia decided it was time to run back towards Ron. She ran out into the open of the chamber shielding her eyes from the Snake. It reminded her of a dragon. She raced into the next tunnel and was again found the rubble. "Ron?" She called "Ron stand back." She looked around the dark corridor for something to hit the rock with. A brass snake head is lying on the ground. Hestia grabs it and begins hitting the rock, sending smaller pieces everywhere. She created a small hole- large enough for the snake head to pop through. "Start hitting the wall with this." She cried to Ron while handing it to him. She grabbed a piece of pipe and began hitting the wall. Behind her she could hear the shrieks and cries of the Snake. Hestia remembered what Luna had said. "a little crown." She said to herself "no a really huge little crown…. Of course a basilisk." She hit the wall a little harder sending more rubble flying. She pulled her wand from her pocket and began levitating objects sending them flying.

The rocks were dust now hitting the ground around Hestia and Ron. The basilisk gave an almighty cry and Hestia could hear the flapping of wings towards her. She helped Ron and Professor Lockhart up just in time as harry flew past with the phoenix- who Ron told her was Dumbledore's and was named Fawkes and Ginny. Ron and Lockhart grabbed a hold while Hestia stayed on the ground.

"How will you get back?" Ron cried as they flew up the entrance.  
"I just will." Hestia said eyeing a moth and remembering an old tale her mother had told her. She caught the moth and whispered into her palm setting it free. She raced back down to the Basilisk inspecting the body but being very wary not to touch its fangs.

Gwaihir and about 10 owls came flying down squawking. Two glass jars attached to Gwaihir's beak. Hestia grabbed them and placed a piece of basilisk skin and venom in the jars. She was then carried by the birds back up the chamber with barely a scratch on her.

LINEBREAK

Ginny had gone back to The Burrow to rest and everybody was safe again. Hestia had told Ron, Luna and Harry not to tell anybody she was in the chamber- she didn't want to worry anybody especially her parents. All of the petrified people were given the mandrake antidote and things returned to normal. The Exams were cancelled and everybody went home.

On the train Hestia sat with Fred, George and Lee Jordan. They talked about quidditch and holidays. Oliver wood came and knocked on their compartment door. "Um Hes can I talk to you for a moment?" he said shyly. Hestia followed him out of the compartment.

"Um look this might sound a little creepy but um I live near the Weasleys and was wondering if your staying there if we could practise. You and whoever else wants to." Wood said.

"I'd love to Wood!" Hestia exclaimed giving him a small hug. "Send me a letter and I'll tell you when to come over."

The train came to a halt. Hestia walked back into the cart and peered out the window. Kings cross. They were home. She gathered her things and walked off the train. Something grabbed her arm. She spun around to find Collin with a note in hand.

"Here Hestia. It's my address. Write to me over the holidays ok?" He said walking past her and onto the platform where a beefy man stood with another boy younger than Colin.

"Thank you" Hestia yelled to him giving him a wave. She walked onto the platform herself and looked for gingers. Percy, Ron, Fred and George all came over to her.

"Have you seen our parents?" Fred asked "Mum said you're staying with us."

"Hm no. I haven't. Dad showed me pictures of them so I know what they look like." Hestia said staring out onto the platform.

Then from the smog and the people appeared no other than Jonathon Weasley, Hestia's father. She dropped her bags and rushed over to him. He enveloped her in a hug and ruffled her hair.

Fred, George, Ron and Percy just stared at the man in front of them. He looked so much like their father and yet so different. Hestia grabbed her fathers hand and raced over to them. "Ron, Fred, George and Percy, this is my Ada, my father and your Uncle Jonathon." She introduced them all and the boys all shook Jonathon's hand.

"if you don't mind me asking," Percy said as they walked back through the barrier "where's our parents?"

"Arthur had some horrid work thing and Molly's looking after your sister." Jonathon replied. They reached a large van with more than enough room for all of them. Jonathon opened the door and let them all clamber in except Hestia. He walked around and opened the door opposite. "My beautiful Hestia." He said giving a small bow. "god how I missed you."

They drove the long journey back to The Weasleys house. "Welcome to The Burrow." Ron said as the large house came into view. There was a Quidditch field and lots of space. It reminded Hestia of home- of Australia.

As she entered the house a clock with all the children's faces on it went back to the 'Home' hour- all except Charlie and Bill who were at work and Ginny who was already there. Hestia was enveloped in a hug by from the pictures she'd seen could only be her Aunt Molly.

"Where's Mum?" Hestia asked hoping her mother was there.

"She wanted to get your grandfather. She'll be here in a few days." Jonathon replied setting up a tent in the backyard. Hestia couldn't wait to tell her mother everything about school. Well everything except Quidditch. She saw her cousins over by the shed getting brooms and she raced over grabbing a broom and soaring high into the air.


	13. Chapter 13

Hestia swung her leg down from the spare Cleansweep that she'd borrowed and walked off the pitch after practising flying with Fred. Bill, Charlie and Uncle Arthur were expected to arrive later in the afternoon and her mother and grandfather were arriving tomorrow morning. Hestia couldn't wait for them to come. She missed her Mum so much and it would be good to see her and she couldn't wait to meet Bill and Charlie who were all coming because of some announcement that Uncle Arthur had to make- Bill and Charlie already knew and were coming to celebrate.

"Hestia dear, you've got some mail." Aunt Molly yelled out the kitchen window to her and Hestia raced inside, pulling off her boots as she went.

"Yes Aunt Molly?" She called, swinging around the doorframe into the main part of the kitchen, narrowly missing Percy, who was walking outside to yell at his younger brother.

"It just came in then with, what I think is the Wood's owl. Yes, that's their owl." Molly said, handing her a letter, turning to lean out the window to yell at both her sons. Hestia was already confused as to why Wood was already writing to her. He'd seen her a few hours ago on the train, but it really didn't matter, she'd already sent letters to Elizabeth, Elanor and Daisy as well as Colin.

Hes made sure that neither of the twins were in the living room as she sat on the couch, shooing the cat as she went. The letter was written in Wood's messy, scrawly handwriting, making it near impossible to tell if he had written it quickly. Tearing open the top of the envelope, Hestia pulled out the letter, smiling at his poor attempt to keep it neat.

_Hey Hes,_

_I know that you probably won't be getting your school stuff until the start of August, but I'd thought that I'd just say that you will need a better broom for Quidditch in September. I mean, one of your own. _

_I came up with a few suggestions._

_Cleansweep 7- fast, reliable. I thought about getting Harry one. The twins have them._

_Nimbus 2000/2001-I know you prefer traditional (But they're just so fast!) also fast, Harry said that his 2000 was very agile, add that onto your already quick reflexes = very good._

_Whatever broom Charlie used._

_Comet 260. I started out on one of these. They're still very quick, but not as good as a Nimbus. I still have my old one if you want to try it._

_Just a few suggestions, I mean, not every broom was made for Quidditch, and there are some that you should avoid like the plague, Charlie can help you with that._

_Anyway, have a safe holiday. I'll get my roster soon so I can let you know when we can have holiday training, and when a new shipment of brooms come in._

_See ya,_

_Oliver._

Only Oliver would be writing to her about brooms now and not in early June.

"Hes!" Jonathan called, startling Hestia out of what she should get for Quidditch next year, she wasn't planning on telling either of her parents until she had to. So hopefully, never.

"Yes ada?" Hestia called back, shoving the letter and envelope into her jacket pocket.

"Go and get your trunk unpacked, I'm going to do a load of washing before your mother and grandfather get here, hopefully it'll be dry by the time your uncle and cousins' are home!" Jonathon replied, a very Weasley smirk across his face as he walked down the stairs, having listened to George rigging Percy's room with some sort of prank.

"I don't know which room it's in!" Hes said, hand running through her hair, as she followed her father.

"I think Prewett put it in Ginny's room." He said, walking out of the house.

"Prewett? Who's that?" Hestia asked, stopping in the doorway, a confused look on her face, head slightly tilted.

"JONATHON WEASLEY!" Bellowed Aunt Molly, shooting a hex at her brother-in-law, "YOU AGREED TO STOP THAT!" She exclaimed, as Jonathon chuckled, jumping over the spell.

"Sorry Molls," He smiled, "Old habits die hard!"

"Owww!" Molly scowled, before turning to Hestia, "I did put it in Ginny's room, dear." She smiled as her niece ran up the stairs into her cousin's room.

"Hey Ginny!" Hestia said to her cousin, who was still not allowed out of her bed.

"Hes, can you please open the window?" Ginny said as her cousin started to pull the clothes out of her trunk.

"Sure thing!" Hes replied, pausing her task for a mere moment to push the window plane up, and narrowly missing the quaffle that came through it.

"Are you all playing Quidditch out there?" Ginny asked, sitting up, and grabbing a book from her nightstand.

"More or less. I mean, we don't have enough for two teams, and Fred was just running me through a couple of drills." Hestia explained, sitting on her cousin's bed. "What time does Uncle Arthur get home normally?" She asked, saying down over Ginny's feet, something that had become common in the first year dorm.

"6.00 more or less." Ginny said, not understanding as to why Hestia asked that question, but then realised that her father was an auror, they didn't have normal office hours.

"That's earlish." Hes replied, looking up at the Quidditch posters on the walls. "Who are the Harpies?"

"Only the best team in the English League!" Ginny smiled, "They're the all female team too! I want to play for them one day." She added, as her cousin sat up.

"You know, I'm no healer, but I can't sense any of that dark magic in you anymore." The other redhead said. "I think you could get out of bed."

"Mum would know." Her cousin replied dimly.

"Bugger." Hes said, grabbing her clothes, "I could ask Aunt Molly if you could get up, just for a bit." Hestia suggested, as she made her way to the door.

"Please!" Was Ginny's only reply as she left the room, almost hitting Fred in the process.

"Gimme some of them!" He hissed, grabbing to top of the pile.

"What did you do?" Hestia asked, eyebrow raising, "No, **Eru**, I don't want to know!" She said as they walked down the stairs towards where her father was doing the washing.

"Small prank on his prefect-ly highness." Fred replied, as a girlish shriek was heard from Percy's room.

"Water over the door?" She asked, getting a nod from her cousin. "Classic."

"I know! Now tell me what our dear Quidditch captain wanted." He pushed, as George fell into step on Hestia's other side, taking some of her washing from his twin.

"Yes, do share." George added, eyebrow's wriggling suggestively.

"You do realise that he is a seventh year and I'm a second year." Hestia sighed, shaking her head, "**For Bilbo's sake**!" She exclaimed, "He just sent me a list of brooms for next year." She added, confused at what her cousin's were implying.

"Hes, you do realise that we were just kidding." George said, nudging her with his shoulder as they arrived at the shed, where Jonathon already had the washing set, waiting for Hestia to throw her clothes in. As she did, the twins looked at the muggle device like it was alien. Her father must have fixed their old one, Hestia concluded as she shut the lid and the machine started it's cycle.

"So, about those brooms, dear cousin." Fred said, subtly moving away from the washer, " Most seekers would go for a Cleansweep 7." He added, handing her his broom.

"Yes, good way to go. Though, our dear Quidditch captain also, most likely suggested a Comet 260." George proposed, picking up what looked to be an old broom from the back of the rack. "This was Ron's by the way."

"Great" Hestia muttered as they started to look through their brooms.

"It isn't that bad Hes," Ron said, walking into the shed, "I mean, he could be here himself." Her older cousin said, putting the Quaffle down from where he had grabbed it from Ginny's room.

"True." Both of the twins said, "He probably also said any of the Nimbus Series."

"Umm, I think ada's calling me!" Hestia said, quickly putting the brooms back, spotting an old box in the corner of the shed, with her father's nickname from his time at Hogwarts, on it. One she had somehow inherited. Owl.

"We can do this later." Fred said, smiling as the small redhead ran out of the shed, and quickly found her father.

"Hey, Ada!" Hestia said, spying her father lying on the grass near the small lake.

"Hes!" He replied, sitting up, smiling as she walked over. "What can I do?"

"Can I help you clean out your old boxes?" She asked, shooing a fly away from her ear.

"Escaping from the twins?" Jonathon asked, smiling up at his daughter.

"Yes. They wanted me to-" Hestia started before her father cut in, saying:

"Be bait for their next prank?" He asked.

"More or less." Hes replied, as he nodded his response.

"I honestly don't have a problem with it, but as soon as you see something suspicious, Hes, and I mean that, I want you to come and get me or your cousin Bill." He said, holding up a hand, "Pull me up."

"ADAR! I'm not that strong!" Hes exclaimed, her face furrowing in frustration.

"Then what have I heard about you drawing your grand-ada's bow?" Jonathon asked, a Weasley smirk written on his face.

"Yeah, try when I'm 100!" Hes said, exasperatedly, trying to pull her father up, pleased that he moved slightly.

"Make that 50, Hestia Weasley. I want to see that day!" Jonathon laughed, pulling himself up

"Adar!" Hes exclaimed as they walked towards the shed, now clear of the twins.

"What? I want to see it happen!" He laughed, ruffling her hair, and poking the tips of her ears, as he flicked the lights on with his wand.

"So, where do I start?" Hestia asked, pulling her hair into a ponytail.

"This box, I think." Jonathon said, pulling an oddly shaped box down from the top of the pile, setting it on the floor near Hestia. "This was mostly just stuff I had at the end of seventh year. Stuff that Moony, Padfoot, Wormtail, Prongs and Frank didn't want. I think my old..." Jonathon said, pulling out an old poster. "There it is, the Puddlemere team of 1978. That was a good team." He smiled, looking at the signed poster.

"They any good?" Hestia asked, "Cause there's a boy in Gryffindor that is constantly going 'Puddlemere this, Puddlemere that.'" Hes said, imitating Wood.

"Sorta, Hes. Things have changed a lot since my time here." Jonathon said, putting the poster back in the box.

"Can I get stuff out to keep?" Hes asked, looking at one of the cauldron's in the box.

"Come and ask me, kay?" He smiled, kissing the top of her head as he walked out to help Molly with the rest of the family, specifically the twins.

WOOD RESIDENCE  
"Oliver! Where do you think you're going!?" Called Mrs Wood as her youngest child and only son bounded down the stairs, semi tripping over his own feet as he pulled his sweater over his head.

"Just out- Ma!" He said, pulling his head through, "Elise is annoying me with that sodding-"

"OLIVER!" His mother yelled, throwing a small stunning spell at her son.

"-Boyfriend of her's." He huffed, picking up his shoes from the near the door.

"Have you unpacked that trunk yet?" His father asked, walking out of the kitchen, a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Not yet, I just need to grab something from the library for a muggle studies class." He explained, pulling his wand out from behind his ear, and putting it in the back pocket of his pants, along with his wallet.

"Not yet?" Called his eldest sister, Lorna called from the top of the stairs, "Cause we all know how well that went last time!" She added, walking towards the bathroom.

"It went very well, it got done just a little later than ma would've liked." He said defending himself against his sisters and parents. "I'll see ya in a bit." He added, kissing his mother's cheek as he ran out the door.

He'd been able to speak with Alicia on the train about helping him with finding some books, and the halfblood witch, who was well versed in muggle ways, was more than happy to meet him outside the town's library. She was staying with her cousins until her parents were back from a wedding. Alicia had been more than happy to meet with him that afternoon. And in all fairness, he knew that the Weasley's would be doing a lot of work once they had gotten home from the train. The list of brooms he had sent Hestia, which he thought were good for seekers, and she was doing so well in trying to understand their strange ways, so to be fair he thought that it was only right in learning what he could about her culture.

"Oi Spinnet! Wotcher!" He called, seeing the girl standing outside the library.

"Not much, Wood!" She called back as he walked up to where she was standing. "So, what do you want to get, exactly." Spinnet said, pushing open one of the doors, motioning for him to go inside.

"Well, books on elves." He started. "Specifically ones from Rivendell, and Middle Earth." Oliver continued, as Spinnet took a sharp turn down one of the shelves, stopping at the 'T' section, before starting to pile books into Oliver's arms.

"You narrowed it down to one author." She replied, adding The Hobbit to the pile.

"Who is this Tolkien fella anyway?" He asked, looking at the sheer size of one of the other books.

"We'd call him a fiction author, but other's would say historian." Alicia smiled, before leading Wood to the library desk to check the books out.


	14. Chapter 14

"**Adar**," Hestia called walking into The Burrow's kitchen. Her father was sitting on the couch in the adjoining room/.

"Yes Hes?" Jonathon said looking up from where he was with the twins, talking to them about their prank on Percy.

"Can I keep the cauldron, the broom and the Puddlemere poster?" She asked placing the box on the table "Everything else is good, though I think some of the photos could go to Harry, or at least copies of them.

"I don't see why not." Jonathon said, "and that's- wait a sec, why do you need a broom?" he exclaimed standing up. The twins visibly paled and tried to sneak out of the room. "You two sit back down!" Jonathon said, not breaking eye contact with his daughter. "Why do you need a broom Hestia?" he asked, as Percy came down the stairs, ready to help his mother with dinner, and overheard the conversation.

"Because she play's quidditch." he replied, not batting an eyelid as he continued on his way.

"Hestia Marlene Weasley." Jonathon breathed, beckoning her to the couch as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yes Ada?" She asked playing the innocent, as she took a seat between her older cousins, pale at the use of her full name.

"Do you have something to tell me? He asked, his gaze hardening on her.

"Well, um, you see…" She started, throwing a glance at her cousin's for help, but they refused to meet her gaze. "I, um, sort of play Quidditch... But it's not as violent or as fast as real quidditch!" She said quickly.

"How so?" Jonathon asked, not entirely convinced as he pulled up an armchair and sat down directly across from them.

"We don't have full speed bludgers and the snitch is bigger and slower." Hes explained before adding, "and it's combined! We have a Slytherin, a Ravenclaw and a few Hufflepuffs as well as Gryffindors!" She explained. "Madame Hooch and Professor McGonagall set it up."

"When did this happen?" Jonathon asked the twins, "And swap jumpers again."

"Start of the year, though they only got one match because of what happened with the chamber and stuff." Fred started,

"So Hes' team won the cup." George continued, pulling his own jumper back down over his head.

"Only by default." Hes exclaimed "There are only two teams and we were supposed to play multiple matches…"

"What position are you in Hes?" Jonathon asked, breathing deeply.

"**Tiriant**" Hestia mumbled at her feet, slipping into her native Sindar.

"English please Hestia, you know I can't speak Sindar as fluently as you can." Jonathon sighed, softening slightly. If Hes was slipping into Sindar, then it meant that she was afraid.

"Seeker..." Hes replied in an even quieter voice.

"Seeker?" Jonathon said, standing up and walking around the room, "Well, that means that'll I'll have to give you that broom." He smiled, as the door into the kitchen banged open and a few heavy footsteps walked into the kitchen

"MUM!" Exclaimed one of the unfamiliar voices.

"You'll never guess what happened!" Came another, slightly younger voice followed the older male. "Oh, Hey Perce!"

Uncle Jonathon, the twins started to leave to greet the new arrivals.

"Go." Jonathon replied, as both of the boys left the room, exclaiming "Bill" and "Charlie" as they went. Hes thought that this was her chance to escape from a lecture that she knew was coming. As she went to slip out, her father's arm stopped her.

"Not you," he said. Hestia shuffled moving back so they were talking face to face.

"When were you planning on telling us that you play Quidditch?" He asked, "Hes, you could've written to me about it!"

"I knew you don't want me playing it, so I was going to keep it quiet." Hes admitted,

"I know that you are only 12, but you have to understand that a warrior will always tell their leaders if they have done something." Jonathon explained, "Now is there another surprise about last year?"

"I may have played one game for the house team..." Hes said, noting how her father stopped smiling.

"Come again?"

"I may or may not have played one game for the house team..." Hestia repeated, "Because Harry fouled and was sent off for the rest of the game, therefore leaving Gryffindor without a way to win, so Wood subbed me on, even though I'm the youngest seeker in the house." She added.

"What's this about Wood, Quidditch and a Seeker?" Came the second voice Hes had heard entering the house a few minutes ago. Both father and daughter turned to see a young man, possibly on his second year out of Hogwarts, covered in freckles and a few scars along his arms, leaning against the door frame, a grin plastered on his face, ginger hair very messy.

"Nothing Charles." Jonathon said, rolling his eyes at his second eldest nephew.

Charlie, please, I only get called Charles when I'm in trouble." He smiled, "You're our long lost Uncle Jonathon, right?"

"In the flesh." Jonathon replied, shaking his nephew's hand. "God you've grown, the last I saw of you, you weren't even walking yet.

"Neither was Bill." Charlie added, getting a nod from his uncle. "So you must be our youngest seeker, right?" He indicated to Hestia.

"Yeah, that's me, Hestia." She said, as she saw a manic look in his eyes.

"I must teach you what I know!" He exclaimed, barely holding his excitement in as he grabbed her by the shoulders.

Okay..." Hes said, sneaking a look at her father who smiled.

"Don't scare her Charlie!" Came a voice that sounded like her father's but older and stressed.

"Arthur!" Jonathon said, walking out of the room to great his brother.

"I'm Charlie, Hestia." The young man said, sticking his hand out to Hestia, "I finished the year before Harry started."

"Hey." Hes said picking up her shoe which Jonathon had been using to keep the internal door between the kitchen and living room open, as they both walked into the kitchen.

"So you're a seeker…" Charlie asked, smiling

"Yeah, I don't think I'm any good at it though, and Oliver's forbidden me from jumping from my broom to catch the snitch, especially after my first game." Hestia explained, seeing his face light up.

"Did he catch you?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

"By my wrist." Hestia shivered, thinking how close she had been to meeting Mandos that day.

"Then he'll come to some holiday training then too." Charlie proposed, placing a reassuring hand on his cousin's shoulder, as they walked into the kitchen, "Do you have a broom?" He asked, knowing that the brooms at Hogwarts were old and not the best for seekers.

I'm getting dad's old one, but it's going to need a lot of TLC." Hesita said, as Molly started to levitate the food over to the table.

"I'll see if I can take you to diagon alley tomorrow morning to get the kits. And

Make Oliver knock off a few sickles." Charlie smiled as everyone sat down, Ron appearing from his room.

"Yes, cause we all know Oliver practically lives here over the summer." Percy dead panned, not amused at the idea, nods of agreement from all others at the table.

"Well, he may until the end of July." Arthur said, and Charlie's face light up with excitement. He was clearly in on whatever secret Arthur had in store.

What's happening then dad?" Ron asked, almost dropping his cutlery.

"Very good question Ron, we shall be gone for a month. We are going to Egypt." Arthur smiled, as the rest of the family went into shock.

Egypt dad?" Fred asked looking up in amazement

"But that would cost-" George started as Percy cut in with the calculations

"I know." Said Arthur

"Does that mean that you won dad?" Ginny asked from next to Hestia. "Oh wow 700 hundred galleons."

"1 trip to Egypt for a month and a couple of Galleons to spare." Arthur said as Molly squealed in excitement.

"Settle down Prewett! Jonathon said, as Hestia covered her ears with her hands, hoping to block out a bit of the sound.

"I'm so happy Arthur! She exclaimed, hugging her husband

"But what about Hes, Uncle Jonathon and Aunt L?" Ron asked, opting to be safe with Hestia's mother's name.

"Luthien, Hestia, Elladan and I are house sitting for you, hence why I sent you that owl Hestia with a last minute change of plan." Jonathon explained, smiling.

"That's Wicked!" Ron exclaimed

Hestia looked at her dad. "So wait you, Charlie and Uncle Arthur knew and you didn't tell anybody? How long have you known?" She quizzed.

"Only since this morning. Your Uncle told me via the floo network and we made the arrangements for me to come here." Jonathon replied.

LINEBREAK

Wood House.

"What in Merlin's name are your reading now?!" Lorna exclaimed, pushing her brother's door open to find him reading a library book on his bed, his shirt exposing part of his torso. "It better not be about Quidditch!"

"Nah, that's for later." Oliver said, pulling his shirt down. I'm just doing a bit of light reading." he added shutting the Silmarillion.

"Light?" Lorna started, "Oliver, light reading for you is like a comic or something!" She exclaimed, catching the title of the book, "The Silmarillion? God I already knew you were crazy, now this just proves it!"

"What?" Oliver asked, as he reached for the pad of sticky notes, one of his muggle cousins had given him and pulled the pen he was using out from under his back.

"Seriously, it's like the elvish bible!" Lorna exclaimed, picking up the Hobbit and flicking through all the tags her brother had put on it.

"It's for school." He defended, grabbing the book, and checking his notes in case she had damaged one.

"With notes like Ered Luin (Blue Mountains), Song/Prophecy of Durin's day and Rivendell/Imladris." Lorna countered

"Sod off." Oliver said,

"And don't try to pass it as anything to do with either NEWT Muggle studies or Care for Magical Creatures or even Ancient Runes." Lorna said, "Because you have two older sisters who did all of those subjects." She smirked, moving her tall brother's feet so that she could sit down. "So who you trying to impress?" She asked.

"Nobody, now sod off!" Oliver said, trying to kick her, "Don't worry your pretty face Lorry." He said glaring at her.

"Right back to the real reason why I came in here, what do you want for your 17th?" She asked casually picking up an old quaffle. She wasn't on Ravenclaw's house team when she had been at Hogwarts, but having dated Bill Weasley, she knew enough about the game, that and living with her quidditch obsessed brother.

"Gryffindor to win the house cup." He deadpanned.

"Talk to your team about that one." She said, standing up, and getting ready to leave. "OH and El is bringing Todd to dinner tonight, and Ma's asked you to behave. So no fighting in the yard!" She said

"He threw the first punch though!" Oliver exclaimed as his sister shut his bedroom door. Making sure she had left, he opened one of the notes he had made in the Hobbit. "So if Durin's day is May 31st... Shoot we missed her birthday!" He exclaimed, throwing the book down, and glaring at his ceiling. Hestia hadn't had her birthday celebrated, granted they had been on the train, but he would've been able to get a cake or something.


	15. Chapter 15

NEW CHAPTER

"Hes!" came a voice in her ear, "Hes, cousin, wake up we gotta go see what your broom needs." It said again, shaking her slightly.

"Charlie?" Hestia asked, opening one eyelid to see her cousin already dressed and waiting for her.

"And she's awake!" He whispered, throwing his hands in the air. "Up and at 'em." He added, walking out of the room, not waking up his sister.

Hestia groaned as she rolled over, "I swear he is worse than Oliver." She said as she saw her watch flick to 6:00am. "He is worse than Oliver." She muttered as she kicked her sheets off as she pulled herself out of bed and pulled on one of the quidditch tops Oliver had given, and some 3/4 length pants as well as her joggers. Running her brush through her hair and loosely braiding it back into the style of Rivendell, she climbed down the stairs and into the kitchen, met instantly by her aunt and father having their breakfast.

"What are you doing up so early, Hes?" Jonathon asked as she sat herself down at the table and reached for a piece of toast and the Vegemite that her father had brought from home in Australia

"Charlie, broom..." She mumbled vaguely as her eyes became unfocused and glassy, as she ate her breakfast.

"Hes up yet?" Charlie said, walking into the kitchen, dressed and ready to get to work.

"Charles Weasley!" Molly exclaimed, as her son sat down at the table, "It is the second day of the school holidays and you wake the youngest person in the house at 6:00?!" She added, clipping him behind the ear.

"Mum we need to beat the rush in Diagon Alley!" He replied, trying to defend himself.

As this was happening, Jonathon was smirking as he clicked his fingers in front of Hestia's eyes. "Hestia, you can sleep later. Time to wake up." He said

"Jonathon, her eyes are open." Molly said, taking a second to stop yelling at her son.

"Molls, trust me, she's still sleeping. It's something she gets from her mother's side of the family." Jonathon replied as Hestia's eyes finally became alert.

"Ada! I was fine!" She exclaimed. "I do it all the time during early morning practice!" She added, grabbing a glass of juice from the centre of the table.

"Uncle Jonathon, is it fine if I take a look at the broom?" Charlie said, finally grabbing a piece of toast and taking large bits out of it, washing it down with a glass of milk.

"Yes, and you can take Hestia to Diagon Alley after to get what you both need for it." Jonathon nodded, running his hand through his red hair, a few shades lighter than Hestia's.

"Ready Hes?" Charlie said as Hestia finished her breakfast.

"As I'll ever be." She replied, as she followed her cousin out of the kitchen and to the Shed.

As Charlie eased open the door, he saw the broom instantly, sitting on the work bench, where Hestia had put it the day before.

"So as the ex-Quidditch captain and seeker," Hestia started, sitting herself on a stool, "What do you think we're going to need?"

"Well, seeing as this was your dad's, and the last time that it probably would've been flown would've been 1978, then we're going to need a restoration kit, and a maintenance kit." he said, picking it up, seeing if he could make out a brand. "But by the look of the broom, your father got it second hand." He added, putting it back down.

"So when do we head for Diagon Alley?" Hestia asked, as Charlie brushed his unruly hair with his fingers.

"About 7:30, I want to beat some of the rush." Charlie said, walking over to where his siblings kept their quidditch supplies, and grabbed a bucket of golf balls and both of the twin's brooms, passing one to Hestia, "But until then, you're mine to train with!" He exclaimed, pushing her out of the shed.

"What about your old broom?" Hestia asked, noting that he had George's in his hand.

"It, unfortunately, got snapped by a dragon in the reserve." He sighed, "Not that it would've been much use to you, with all these nimbus' and cleansweeps on the market, and Firebolt's making a comeback this year too." He explained, as they walked out onto the grassy 'pitch'. "Now has Oliver taught you any fancy moves yet?" He asked, setting the bucket down and indicated for Hestia to mount.

"No, not after my game where I sent everyone into cardiac arrest." She replied, balancing herself on the unfamiliar broom.

"I heard that you launched yourself at the snitch, right?" Charlie asked, mounting the broom he was using.

"Yeah, and I was nervous, so I had an escort when I went for laps around the pitch." She admitted.

"That's nothing to be ashamed of, I stayed with Wood for his first game, calling what was happening from there, and teaching him how to read the plays." Charlie said, "Something that a seeker has to be an expert at." He added, picking up one of the golf balls and throwing it at her.

LINEBREAK

After over an hour of training, Charlie was finally satisfied in how Hestia was progressing, she had the talent for the position, now all she needed was a brushing up on the skill and an eye for the plays and calling what was happening on the field.

"Go have a shower, I'll see you in the kitchen." He said, moving to take her broom, but smiled as she walked it back to the shed and cleaned it. Even though she shouldn't have been playing Quidditch during this school year, the Gryffindor team had certainly trained her to keep the gear in good condition.

As Hes walked up to the house, she grabbed a new t-shirt and shorts from her trunk, not seeing which pair they were, and a set of socks. All of her cousin's, with the possible exception of Ron, were up, or so she gathered, seeing Percy in the hall, waiting for the shower. Looking at the shirt, she had quite literally thrown on, Hestia sniggered, realising that she had managed to sneak her All Blacks footy jersey to Hogwarts, as she redid her braids, and rushed down to the kitchen.

"Hes," Ginny said, as she managed to jump in the gap between Hes and George

"Yeah, Gin ?" She replied, smiling at her eldest cousin.

"I did try to keep him from waking you up, but Charlie wouldn't keep still." she added, if I wasn't still sleepy I would have pushed him down the stairs. He is so loud in the morning."

"He really isn't that bad. I mean, Oliver would knock on the window if you didn't get up in a minute. He'd dump water on the boy's too, Katie, Angelina and Alicia would just pull my covers off, or Ginny's-depending how tired they were." Hes said, as they went into the kitchen, where Charlie was waiting for her.

"Hes, ever apparated before?" Charlie said, sitting on the bench top.

"Really, Charles? You failed the test." Percy said, before Charlie used his booted foot to push his brother's head down.

"5 Miles Perce, and we're yet to see you take it." He replied

"Take the Floo, Char." Ginny said practically.

"Probably a better idea." Charlie agreed, as he walked over to the fire place. Hes listened as he explained system to her, knowing that she had essentially lived as a muggle for the majority of her life until this year. "Look what i'm trying-" Charlie summed up, cut off by his siblings,

"And failing!"

"To say, is that you just have to grab a handful of this stuff and step into the fire and shout where you want to go and drop the stuff into the fireplace." He said, holding out a pot full of green powder to his cousin.

"Umm Charlie I hate to burst your bubble but she knows what Floo Powder is. We lived as muggles but not to that extent." Jonothan laughed entering the room with a mug of coffee in his hand. "Hold up Hes," She turned and looked at him. "Here take some sickles." He said handing her some coinage.

"Oh. Sorry I just assumed…" Charlie stumbled.

"All good Charlie, remember this is me. I know about the magic I just haven't experienced it." She turned to her father.

"Umm what do I say again?" Hestia asked suddenly nervous.

"Diagon Alley." Charlie said handing her some powder.

"Just don't make the same mistake Harry did." Ron called from the Kitchen.

"Ok." Hestia breathed in deeply and closed her eyes. "DIAGON ALLEY." She landed in Diagon Alley with a large bump. Closely behind her was Charlie.

She looked around as busy employees opened shops ready for a new trading day.

"Pretty neat hey?" Charlie said, smiling as his cousin looked around.

"It's much bigger than the one in Wellington and Sydney!" She exclaimed as he lead her up to the top of the street and into a grand looking building.

"This is Gringotts, you know the bank that Bill works for the curse breaker in Egypt. I need to grab a parcel from the shop over there," he said pointing to another building, "And that's where we'll get your Quidditch supplies." He finished pointing to a shop Hestia knew she would like.

"What other stuff are we getting?" Hestia asked, nodding the shop.

"Well, you'll need some good quidditch padding, because the sets they have at Hogwarts was ancient when I was there." He explained, as he held open the door into the bank, not noticing that Hestia had paled at the sight of the workers.

"Yrch!" She hissed, reaching for a knife that she didn't have.

"What?" Charlie asked, before picking her up and walking back out of the bank. "No you don't." He said, setting her back down.

"There are Yrch in the bank, managing the money!" She exclaimed, trying to break free of her cousin's hold, and charge into the bank.

"Yurch?" Charlie asked, confused, "What does that mean?

"It means Orc, but we added Goblin to it." She said, forgetting that Charlie had yet to be told about her elven blood. "Basically, i can speak fluent Sindar." She tried to cover.

"I thought only the grey-elves spoke it." Charlie shrugged, "Now, we are not going to start a fight, Bill's going to work here sometime." He added, reopening the door, this time, making sure he had a strong grip on Hestia's hand. Walking up to the front counter, he greeted the Goblin manning it.

"Hello Griphook, two things today." He smiled, as the goblin sneered at him over the top of his half-moon glasses. "Firstly i need to put this in my vault and then i need to grab some sickles." He explained, pulling out a small package from the back of his wallet and handed it to the goblin.

"How?" Hestia asked, looking at the wallet.

"Undetectable expansion charm, very handy." He explained quietly as they were lead to a cart which would take them underground.

"How long will this take Charlie?" Hestia asked, her other now holding his arm tightly.

"Not long, and i won't mention it to anyone either." He promised as they climbed in and sped towards Charlie's vault.

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True to his word, they spent a total of 15 minutes underground, and whem they stepped outside of the bank, back into the sun, Hestia soaked up it's warmth and light. "I don't know how the dwarves do it." SHe said as Charlie waited for her to readjust to the light, looking at the first people starting to trickle out of shops and fill the street up.

"Parcel time." He said, walking down the stairs, still holding Hestia's hand so he wouldn't lose her. "If it gets too crowded, Hes, just tell me and I'll carry you." He said as they walked into the shop, leaving a few seconds later, and walking into Quality Quidditch Supplies.

Charlie knew exactly where he had to go to grab the kits his cousin would need, and hadn't notice her dart off quickly.

"Hes, just a word of warning, always buy the complete kits, it's cheaper than buying just the bits and pieces." He said, pointing to the side of the box, which claimed it was for all brooms, before adding a restoration kit to it, "Where'd you get the socks from?" He asked as Hestia grabbed one of the boxes.

"I needed more of them, they're warmer than what you get at Madam Malkin's." She explained, putting them on top of her box as they walked over to the quidditch padding.

"Never thought of getting school socks here." Charlie admitted, remembering how he often had multiple layers of socks on during the winter. "Now, this is your sizing." He said, pointing to one of the walls, which had the approximate height for the wearers. There were all different makes and types of padding that Hestia hadn't thought possible.

"Feather-light cloth padding?" Hestia read, looking at a one of the brands.

"It's utter rubbish, Wood started out with it, i killed him for it, made him get something with decent protectiveness." Charlie cut in, shaking his head.

"How about dragon leather?" You Can never go wrong with that." Charlie asked, picking it up, "Do we have everything we need?" He asked.

"That's it i think, I'll have to wear the padding in though." Hestia said as they walked over the counter where the cashier was still half-asleep.

"Good mornin' an' welcome to Quality Quidditch Supplies," He half mumbled, as Hestia started putting their purchases onto the counter, and pulled her small amount of sickles out of her pocket for the socks.

"Wake up Wood." Charlie said, not missing a beat, "I've been up since 4:00 am, and Hestia's been up since 6:00 am. You honestly have no reason to still be asleep." He continued, putting what he was carrying down on the counter top.

"Charlie?" OLiver said, perking up at the sound of his old captain's voice, "When did you get back in the country." He smiled.

"Last night," Charlie smiled, as Oliver checked the items out. "We had to get some stuff from Hes' broom." He explained.

"So are you trying one out?" Oliver said, picking up.

"I found dad's old one from when he played quidditch at school," Hestia explained, "But it's going to need a lot of work." she added, pushing her sickles onto the counter.

"I could imagine." Oliver said, bagging the items, "Right, so, i'm putting my discount on it because i know you, and I'm going to pay for those socks Hestia, because we didn't celebrate your birthday." He added, pushing the sickles back towards the twelve year old, and putting his own down instead.

"What?" Hestia asked, returning the sickles to her pocket.

"Happy belated Birthday." Oliver said, passing her that bag, "I figured that since you had said that you were born the last day of Autumn, and most likely meant the Australian Autumn, not the English one, it would have to be May 31st, or the day we came back on the train." Oliver smiled, as they started to walk out, "Oh and owl me when you fix the broom, i need you to be 100% comfortable on it!" He called after them.

"I'll send Gwaihir over!" Hestia smiled as the cousin's walked back towards Leaky Cauldron...


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

A/N Hey guys sorry for not posting a lot., I have had a lot on my plate but more chapters will be coming soon. Enjoy

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Hestia was sitting in the Quidditch shed, staring at her dads broom. It felt more organic, more natural than the other brooms she'd used.

"Ok so before we can begin restoration we need to figure out whats broken, what kind of broom it is and where we will find parts." Charlie came walking into the shed with two large books in his Hand.

"Quidditch throughout the ages? And "Quidditch"?" Hestia said staring at the covers. " I know throughout the ages- its one of dads most prized possesions but that other one I have never seen it before."

"Oh its one we've always had, its hand written- see?" Charlie said passing it to her. "Its got lists of brooms, rules and a whole bunch of other stuff. "

"AW cool!" Hestia said opening it and flicking through the pages. She scanned over them quickly. "Ah ha! I found it." She cried. "it's a moontrimmer. Its made of ash and it's a great broom. Should be ok.- will just need a few tweaks here and there. It's a really model

"how'd you find that so fast?" Charlie said laughing at her excitement. "Moontrimmer hey. That's a good broom or you know so I've heard. It could be worth heaps if you wanted to sell it."

"No way this is the perfect broom. I mean look at it. It just feels like the right broom for me." Hestia exclaimed. She jumped up and raced back over to the house. "**Ada **Why didn't you tell me what kind of broom this was! The miles this thing could go, how organic it is?"

Jonathon looked up at Hestia who was hoping on one foot. "To be honest Hestia I forgot how good of a broom it was."

"But how can you forget a broom like this I mean it's a Quidditch broom. Its perfect." Hestia said.

As she said this Charlie walked in from the shed. "OK hes I have given it a once over it might fly and so I'm going to need you to test it before we start restoring it. And seeing as it's a quidditch broom maybe we could go through some drills?"

"Oh no Charlie, I was just going to take it apart first. Of course we're going to test it." Hestia said sarcastically as she walked past him and back outside. She grabbed the Moontrimmer and flew around.  
"Alright Hes, try and get these." Charlie was hovering three golf balls in the air. One by one they zipped around, past hestia's hair. She sped off after one grabbing it within seconds.

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Jonathon watched from the nearby window. "Goodness Hestia," He murmered to himself. He heard the back door open and turned around to see his brother come in. "Hello Arthur, hows the office?"

"Jon, it was good, by any chance are these two strays yours?" Arthur answered cheerfully as a tall slender woman with long dark hair entered the room, closely followed by an elderly man wearing traditional Elvish robes.

"Luthien! You're early. Hello Elladan how was your flight?" Jonathon asked walking over to greet his wife.

"We were intercepted on our flight. The New Zealand Ministry found us at the airport after we had trouble with our flight and I told them who we were and they helped get us to the Ministry here." Luthien explained. "They've been having a lot of trouble with Muggles smuggling out old artworks of quidditch players or something and so we ended up in Arthurs office."

"Well I'm glad you got here safe. I will introduce you to Molly and the kids. Hestia will be so excited." Jonathon said leading her through the house. "HESTIA. I've got someone here to see you." He called out towards where she and Charlie were practising.

"Is that Hestia on the broom?" Luthien asked. "Practising flying?"

"Yes. She was being taught at school and somehow ended up playing quidditch on the team." Jonathon said.

Hestia suddenly raced inside and enveloped her mother in a hug. "**Emel. I missed you." **

"**I missed you too my sweet girl. How was school?"** Luthien asked.

"**really great." ** Hestia said. "**Hello Grandfather." **She gave a slight nod to her grandfather.

"**Your Sindarin is coming along nicely, Hestia**." Her grandfather spoke in a soft voice.

Jonathon introduced everyone and showed his wife and father in law to the tent which he had set up earlier. Hestia looked in and couldn't believe it.

"Its almost like being at home." She gasped walking in.

"For you this was home for a while hes." Her father said ruffling her hair as he put somethings away. "When we were moving around a fair and I had more dangerous jobs we would take this everywhere and set it up in a safe area for you and your mother."

"That is so cool." Ginny said coming through the door, "Your mum is so cool Hestia. Look what she did to my hair." Ginny gave a twirl showing the braid Luthien had put in place. "That's where you must get it from."

"I can't believe you will be leaving for Egypt in two days. Exciting huh." Hestia said walking back inside.

"Yeah its all a bit of a blur." Ginny said grabbing cutlery for dinner which molly was serving up in the kitchen.

"OH ginny while your standing there can you race up stairs and tell your brothers dinner is ready." Molly called. Ginny looked down at the cutlery she was holding.

"I'll go you finish that." Hestia offered before ducking upstairs. "Boys dinners ready." She called from the landing.

Charlie, the twins, ron and percy raced down the stairs. "Someones hungry." Hes said to herself, laughing a little.

Luthien sat next to Jonathon and Hestia's cousins swarmed her with questions. "Is grandfather not coming?" Hestia asked her mother.

"He doesn't feel great. You know how he is when he flies." Luthien replied.

"I guess its your elvish side that's the reason for your great coordination hey Hes?" Charlie asked.

"Must be ." Hestia said tucking into some food. "I propose a toast," She said "To family," She raised her glass.

"TO FAMILY." The table rose their glasses and cheered.


	17. Chapter 17

Hestia watched as her father waved goodbye his brother and Hestia's cousins as they left for the portkey which would take them to Egypt. He looked teary from where she was standing. "**Ada** are you alright?" She said looking at him.

"Oh its nothing Hes, I just never got to say goodbye last time one of us left. Your mother and I left in a uh a hurry last time. Because of well…. You know."

"the **'Ksher.**" Hestia replied sourly.

Luthien walked in from the kitchen with a cup of tea in hand. "Hush now we do not speak of the **'Ksher.**" Not now."

"But why?" Hestia asked. "why do we worry when he is gone?"

Luthien and Johnathon both tensed a little. "We will talk about it later Hestia."

Just as hesita was about to continue. There was a knock at the door. "Hestia. Its your Captain. We gotta go. Get you into shape."

Hestia bounced out of her chair. And opened the door adjacent to the kitchen. "Hello Oliver." She said beckoning him in. "Want a cuppa? Kettles still warm."

"No thanks. Hello Mr and Mrs Weasley." He called to Hestias parents. "Do you mind if we work on some of Hestias quidditch skills. I want to improve her game a bit now that she's captain of the newly formed combined team for her year group. And reserve Seeker."

"Actually I do-" Johnathon began to protest before his wife cut him off.

"That is fine young one. Go and play your sport." Luthien said with a smile.

Hestia ran outside, grabbing her moontrimer on the way. She lept of the ground with great speed and raced towards the quidditch field. Wood who was on foot trailed behind carrying a crate similar to one at school which no doubt held within the many items needed for quidditch.

"So Professor Mcgonagoll has been in touch with me apparently it would be wise to train you in other areas of quidditch as well. Seeing as we have more accidents with beaters than we do seekers." Wood said as she floated to a lower height.

"Not when Harry's playing." Hestia joked.

"No I suppose not. But anyway, Professor M thinks that we should and who am I to argue. Besides your year groups the test run- if your combined quidditch games go well than they will allow the whole school to be in it, which means we will probably get better equipment and the like. And having a reserve that can play all positions would be nice."

"Alright lets give it a go." Hestia raced towards the goals as Wood let the bludgers free.

"Avoid the bludgers and try to make it to the other end without falling off. " Wood said as he flew up next to her. "And try and get this past me." He threw her the quaffle. "Ready set go!" She raced towards the other end of the pitch. A bludger flew towards her head and she leaned away increasing her speed and still only narrowly avoiding it. "Aren't I supposed to have beaters protecting me." She yelled at Wood.

He gave a sligh smile. "Its a test. A challenge."

"**I hate challenges.**" Hestia muttered to herself as she swerved to avoid another bludger. She began to fly higher. Above the goals hoping to trick Oliver. She could see him searching for her in the clouds. _Good he can't see me. _ She could a bludger behind her and picked up her speed racing towards Oliver, he didn't see her until it was almost to late. Hestia pulled the broom back up a threw the quaffle all the way over his shoulders right into the middle goal. The bludger which had continued to follow her down did not follow her as she went back up and continued right into Oliver's path. Almost knocking him right off his broom.

He sat on his broom. Looking a little dumbfounded. "That was brilliant that was. I knew you could do it. You just did two jobs of a quidditch team in one. You Chased and Beat!"

"no I just flew around trying not to get myself killed." Hestia said smiling.

"Well whatever you want to call it you were great but are you better than your captain at his postion is the real question." Wood asked moving into the centre of the field, the quaffle tucked under one arm.

"Depends on how good he is at being a chaser." Hestia said poking her tongue out at him.

"Your on." Wood said "Okay One Two three go!" He raced towards her zig zagging across the pitch hoping to confuse her. He sped up as he reached the goal sending the bludgers to race towards him.

"hey that's my tactic." Hestia cried in protest as he threw the quaffle above her head towards the middle goal. Hestia flew after it. She reached out for it her fingertips brushing the bottom of the quaffle. This small momentum slowed its speed ever so slightly that she was able to wrestle it into her arms and avoid the bludgers that zoomed past her liked rouge missiles- headed straight for their targets.

Oliver looked quite shocked. "I thought… Distracting you would.. Never mind. Well done."

"Thanks. I think it's the broom. It seems to fit better with me. Its almost fully organic."

"I've noticed. I don't think I've seen one like it. Do you know where your dad got it."

"No clue. I suspect it's a passed down thing you know?" Hestia said. She looked down to where her grandfather was standing staring into the sky and her eyes followed to where his were looking. Errol came spiralling out of the sky.

"Duck!" she cried out to Wood "wait no owl."

Wood spun around and narrowly missed being attacked by the old bird. Hes's grandfather caught Errol as he reached the ground. "Hestia, there is a letter here for you. I will leave it inside."

Wood and he's fly back down to safety and begin walking to the gate.

"Well I gotta go. My sisters bringing her boyfriend home and they've got some announcement. Ugh." Wood said as he walked out the gate. "See you next week."

Hestia waved him goodbye before heading inside. She was surprised to see her mother, father and grandfather in the living room having what looked to be an important talk. There were lots of whispers. Her mother looked at her.

"**Hestia please go entertain yourself in the tent. Your friend wrote you a letter go read it." ** Lutheran said in a rush.

"Uh ok Mum." He's said grabbing her letter and heading for the door. As she left she heard her father whisper the word 'Padfoot' to her mother and here mother do a stranger sort of gulp.

They both looked at her. "HESTIA"

"ok ok. I'm going." She mumbled. _Who or what is padfoot and why did Ada look so upset?_


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Not mine.

**This is what it will look like when someone talks in Quenyan.**

Elladan had taken Hestia out early the next morning, telling her to leave her wand behind as well. Despite her reservations about leaving the so-called 'Stick', as her grandfather had called it, behind, it was quickly erased when he produced her bow, quiver and knives. The smirk on his face told her that today would be training day.

"**So Hestia,**" He started as they hiked through the plains, carrying their weapons, and dressed in some semblance of Elven travel clothes. Hestia's forest green kirtle moved through the grass, as did her cloak. Why her grandfather insist that they wear them confused her, considering it was summer, though it was England. Tugging on her belt and continuing onwards after her grandfather, she huffed at how far they were walking, "**What is the main aim of an elven archer?**" he continued, turning back to see her leaning against a rock, possibly catching her breath.

"**Umm,**" She replied, running her hand through her hair, her fingers missing the braids that Elladan had put in this morning. "**To provide cover for the other elven units, and gain an advantage over the enemy?**" Hes continued, now standing back up.

"**That'll about do it.**" Elladan smiled, as he pointed to a couple of targets he had set up. "**You know the drill.**" He added, as his granddaughter pulled her bow off her back and started to prepare for shooting. There was nothing wrong with her technique, not that there had been for years. Elladan and Glorfindel had corrected her posture and technique when she had first started.

"**No double shooting?**" Hestia asked, as she pulled an arrow from her quiver, watching her grandfather lean easily on his own longbow, his green-grey tunic flapping in the breeze.

"**Precisely.**" He confirmed, nodding as he watched her shoot, it was an almost instinctive movement, and very fluid. Had she not gone to Hogwarts for the past year, she would've most certainly been ahead of the other trainee's. As she worked her way between the five targets, never hitting the same one twice in a row, he noticed that she was moving to an unheard music, making her movements flow more, and fit in with the way she was shooting. Even when she rolled into a kneeling position, it hardly effected the flow she had going, her bright red hair moving with her as she went.

"How's she going?" Jonathon asked, having walked up, a few hours later. Hestia had just again retrieved her arrows, and was preparing to continue working.

"She's going well. Hes's fallen into a rhythm, and it's working for her." Elladan smiled as he watched her twirl on the soles of her boots and fall into a forward roll, coming up to a kneeling position, before hitting a bullseye on the target.

"Isn't a rhythm bad?" Jonathon asked, running a hand through his hair, he had just finished discussing with Luthien what was meant by 'Padfoot' escaping.

"If the archer is working in a unit, potentially, though a rhythm for a ranger or solo archer is actually encouraged." Elladan smiled as they continued watching her work. "**Knives as well, Hestia. Glorfindel said that your right hand throw was weaker. Which is to be expected. You are left handed.**" He called, waiting for her to give a thumbs up. Both adults watched as she drew the knife sheathed behind her quiver to the right, and critiqued her movements as she threw it, hitting just inside the blue sixth ring. The groan that they heard let them know that she wasn't pleased with the result.

"**We both know I can fight with my right hand, why would I be throwing my knife at them?**" Hestia asked, walking back towards her grandfather, not at all surprised that her father was now there. "Hey **Ada.**" She smiled, using the back of her sleeve to wipe the sweat away from her brow.

"Morning Hestia." Jonathon smiled as Elladan drew his right hand knife to demonstrate what she had done.

"**Now, I want you to watch as I throw my knife, see what I do, then, we'll go get yours and go through the movements.**" He said kindly, before explaining each step of the process, even though his didn't hit the bullseye, it would have still been a kill. "**Elrohir was always better with knives and swords than I was, but it doesn't matter.**" He added, noting that Jonathon had conjured two lawn chairs, and was sitting back on one of them. Once he had helped Hestia in working through that process, and had her practicing the movements, he returned to Jonathon, "Luthien has been told about your old classmate then, I assume, Jonathon?" He asked, sitting down on the chair with ease, despite his age-though it never showed.

"Yes, and she doesn't like that she knows him. I'll probably be called into the ministry to tell them what I know, or be warned if I'm hiding him." Jonathon replied, watching as his daughter finally threw the knife, landing it dangerously close to her grandfather's chair.

"**That is much better, now go and retrieve it and your arrows.**" Elladan called, seeing Jonathon using his wand to call the other knife back, "**I think it's time we do some work on your close quarters combat skills.**" He added, seeing her start to cross the field. None of them had noticed that there was another set of eyes watching, trying to figure out if this was actually real.

While the adults were talking quietly amongst themselves, Hes only hearing the word 'Padfoot' thrown in the conversation a few times. _Maybe they're planning on getting Lindir a dog, Eru knows that it would mellow him a bit. Even Thranduil and Glorfindel don't have that much of a stick shoved up their arses._ She though as she pulled her arrows out of the targets, listening in for the small trees to make noise, as they usually did. Pulling the last arrow, Hes nocked it on the bow, and moved into the small wooded area.

The small crack, possibly a jogger, snapping a twig was all she needed to send an arrow off after it, she knew that it had made contact with something, as there was a muffled thud on a tree about three hundred metres away. Following through with another quick three, all hitting their mark, Hestia stung her bow across her back, and pulled both her knives as she moved towards where she had sent her arrows.

"Sod it!" Cussed a voice she knew all too well. _Oliver?_ She thought not dropping her guard, prepared if it was only an echo used to draw elves away. "And my favourite sweater too! Crap, I hope it didn't get me jersey!" The voice continued, as Hestia crept low through the scrub, moving only when she needed to. "Sod it!" It continued, just as she was able to see who it was. "Oi! Archer?! You still there?" He finished, sighing exasperatedly. It was in fact Oliver Wood who she had pinned to a tree.

"Oliver?" She asked, rising from her crouch, so that he could see her.

"Hes? You fired those arrows?" He asked, shocked as she sheathed her knives.

"Yes, you fool." She replied, moving forward to release her Quidditch captain. "I didn't pierce your skin or anything did I?" Hes added, looking concerned at how close she had landed her arrows. _Thank Eru he isn't burly; I would've surely hit something then._ She thought as she reached up to pull the first arrow out, moving it so it wouldn't do as much damage to his black jumper. "Do you Brits just wear jumper's year round?" She asked, nodding at his clothing, checking to see if the arrow was damaged as she spoke.

"Do you wear that year round?" He shot back, taking that arm off the tree, unused to having to hold that position for very long.

"It's traditional." Hestia muttered, glaring at him, "If it was you in a kilt, I wouldn't be making fun of it." She added, her grey eyes looking like there was a storm brewing behind them. "And for your information, this was a gift from my surrogate uncle, Glorfindel." She added, seeing his deep brown eyes flicker at the name, wondering if it was a look of recognition. Moving onto the next arm, Hes was forced to pull the arrow out harder, it had been even closer than the first to Oliver's bicep than the first.

"Shit!" He hissed, as he felt the arrow finally loosen from literally just resting on the top of his arm.

"I**lúvatar**," Hestia muttered, seeing not only wool come off the arrowhead, but also blood. "**Oliver, I may have accidently scratched your skin when I shot this arrow, and now, um… I think it scratched you on its way back out, now only deeper….**" She said quickly, slipping into Sindar, and not noticing the look of utter confusion on his face.

"Hes, what the hell did you just say?" He asked through his teeth, hissing slightly at the pain. It wasn't until Hestia had pulled a bandaged from possibly a pocket and was making short work of bandaging it that he realised that she must've accidently cut him.

"Sorry." She muttered, pushing the jumper sleeve up so that she ensured that it wasn't deep, "**Grandada would have a better idea if it's okay or not…**" She added, pulling out the other two arrows, and placing them back in her quiver. This time making sure that his torso was not near the arrow heads.

"You know, really don't have to do that." Oliver said, as she still muttered in Sindar, pulling him out of the forest, or as well as she could.

"**Adar! Grandada!**" She called, causing both men, correction, one elf one man, stand up from two lawn chairs, watching the taller of the two move quickly over to where Hestia was dragging him. "**I accidently scratched him with an arrow. He's bleeding slightly, and I wrapped it, but you know how good my bandaging skills are.**" She added, her father now joining them, a look of annoyance on his face, either at having to try and understand his daughter's Sindar, or at the fact that she had shot at someone.

"What's she sayin?" Oliver asked, looking at the adults, noting the concern etched on her uncle's, possibly, face, as he checked over the wrapping Hestia had done.

"Only telling me what happened," The adult replied calmly, "She slips back to Sindar when she is nervous."

"**I do not.**" Hestia muttered, still not realising that she was speaking elfish until her father gave her a small nudge. "I don't, do I?" She asked, looking at her grandfather, "Grandada! Ada!" She exclaimed, seeing both adults smirking at her highly accented voice, wondering how long she had been talking to Oliver in it.

"My dearest, your accent is practically tangible." Elladan said kindly, having finished with rewrapping Oliver's arm.

"You must be Hes' uncle then." He said sticking out his hand, glad that that hadn't been the one to get hit. At the statement, Hes and her father practically fell on the ground, laughing at Oliver had said. Elladan, however took a more reserved approach.

"That is certainly new." He said bluntly, causing Oliver to swallow slightly, "I must admit, I've never been mistaken as Hestia's uncle before." He continued, making Oliver even more confused, luckily, Hes had managed to compose herself enough to explain.

"Oliver," She managed, wiping the tears from her eyes, though you could still see that she was laughing on the inside. "This is my grandada, Elladan." She explained, though the confusion was still there, "He's my grandfather." Hes clarified, smoothing her hair back down as her father managed to stop his laughing.

"With all respect, sir." Oliver started, unable to wrap his head around how young Hestia's grandfather looked. "You look more like an uncle." He finished.

"Ollie, um, ears." Hestia said, discreetly pointing at her own, causing her captain's attention to be drawn to her grandfather's ears. The silent 'Oh' that he made was enough for her to understand that he guessed which side of her family Elladan was from.

"Hestia, did you get your knives?" Elladan said, as Jonathon led Oliver over to the lawn chairs.

"Yes," Hestia sighed, wondering what her grandada would ask her father to conjure up for her to fight.

"Good. Jonathon," He said, looking over to where his son-in-law was talking with Hestia's Quidditch captain, "Take your choice on what to conjure." He called, watching as the auror flicked his wand to where Hes was standing, before walking over to the chairs.

"Crap, those are real weapons, yeah?" Oliver asked, holding his right hand to the bandage.

"Only way to properly train, not to mention, that Hestia most likely thought that you may have been a threat." Elladan replied, as they watched the twelve-year-old move swiftly, cutting through the, presumably orcs, that her father had created an illusion of.

"Crap." Oliver replied, watching her deliver a kick well over her head to one orc, before slashing at it with her knife, if her arrows were as sharp as they were, he didn't want to be on the wrong end of her knives. "God, this hurts." He muttered, something that didn't go unheard by Elladan.

"You're lucky that they weren't poison arrow." The Lord of Rivendell replied, "Had they were, you would've been dead before Hestia had been able to drag you out to us." He finished, "Luckily, I think my granddaughter possesses a little more intelligence than that, and at most would have sent her knives after you." Elladan finished, noting that Jonathon had ramped up the intensity of the mock battle that his daughter was fighting, now including a few wargs into the mix. Setting his wand down, Hestia's dad pulled off his jumper, revealing an old Puddlemere top underneath.

"Is that an old Puddlemere top?" Oliver asked, seeing a gold stripe in the middle of a mud-brown top.

"1978 team, good year." Jonathon nodded, "It would be even better if my daughter would ditch the Harpies, and support them too!" He added, raising his voice so that Hes could hear. The only response he heard was a groan, before she sliced the throat of another orc. Jonathon laughed.

"That's just unfortunate." Oliver agreed, "Support Puddlemere, or I'll make you run extra laps!" He yelled, causing Jonathon to laugh, as Hestia glared at him, knife pointed in his direction. "Or maybe not!" Oliver quickly corrected, as Elladan nodded at Jonathon again, seeing that Hes was now not breaking as much of a sweat.

Taking the hint, Jonathon pulled the illusions of orcs and wargs and replaced them with something far more terrifying. Two of them.

From what Oliver had already read of _Lord of the Rings_, he was scared out of his mind, purely because they looked exactly like they had been described as in the books. Only wearing a long black cloak, giving them a visible form, and generally scared the shit out of him. Not to mention that they had swords, Hestia only using her two knives.

Jonathon didn't miss a beat, seeing the teen's face pale significantly, and a sweat break out on the back of his neck.

"Dementors, or do I take it you've been doing some reading?" He asked, causing Oliver to look away from Hestia, who was somehow able to hold her own.

"Bit of both, actually." Oliver replied sheepishly, using his jumper to mop up the sweat. "Never imagined that you would be able to create such lifelike ones either." He added, nodding as the three of them watched Hestia dive out of the way of one of their swords, parrying another with both knives.

"I too have read a bit, not to mention that Elladan saw them being washed away by the Bruinen, the day that Frodo was brought to Rivendell. That helps as well." Jonathon smiled, before flinching as the intensity increased again, only because he had set a timer for it to do so.

Now there were eight of them.

Hes managed to continue fighting, slashing her knives through their cloaks, though there wasn't much of an effect.

That's when the ninth appeared, walking slowly towards Hestia. His sword was still in front of his body, and lowered as he moved closer to Hestia. It took everything Oliver had not to jump in and help her, though he still had the trace.

"Is that the…?" He asked, the nerves reappearing.

"JONATHON!" Elladan yelled, seeing Hestia sink to her knees in front of the lead wraith. Snapping his attention, Jonathon quickly dissolved the illusions, even as Elladan moved to engage the Witch-King.

Oliver had only ever seen magical duels before, so seeing a trained elven warrior essentially tackle the illusion to the ground was defiantly something he would remember, especially when he saw Elladan draw his own sword, giving Jonathon enough time to see that the others were properly removed. As Jonathon removed the illusion of the Witch-King, the three men moved towards Hestia, who seemed to be a hollow shell of her normal personality.

"Did she get Black Breath?" Jonathon asked, holding her shaking body, watching as Elladan checked her over.

"She's safe." The elf confirmed.

"That was not supposed to happen." Jonathon said, as Hestia pulled her father closer.

"But they were only illusions!" Oliver exclaimed, confused at what had just happened, "Right?" He added, when he got no response from either adult.

"**They were here…**" Came a muffled reply from Hestia, and the looks on Elladan's and Jonathon's faces told him that they had understood what Hes had just said. "**They didn't shimmer like they normally would. Ada, they were here…**" She continued, not noticing that her father had cast a translation charm on her, allowing Oliver to take part in the conversation.

"Here, I brought some chocolate. Your godfather always said that chocolate makes everything better." Elladan said, pulling a small bar of it from his satchel.

"**Thanks.**" Hestia said, accepting the piece.

"Oliver, come with us back to the Burrow, I'll be able to check that scratch better there, and it might do Hestia some good to have a friend with her, especially since you obviously have some understanding of our world." Elladan said, as Jonathon scooped Hes up, after putting her knives back into the sheathes behind her quiver.

"Sure." Oliver replied, watching as his friend struggled not to cry. The walk back didn't take long, or that he was mostly preoccupied with what he had seen.

"I take it that you either know about our world from what my granddaughter has told you, or you've gone and done some research, is that correct?" Elladan said, as he walked with Oliver, Jonathon rushing ahead with Hestia.

"Yeaah, just thought I could try and make it a bit easier on her." Oliver replied, "And so I didn't offend her, in anyway shape or form. God knows she'd be getting enough of it if anyone knew she was half-elven." He reasoned, getting a nod from her grandfather. Just thinking about it made him feel awesome. One of Elrond's sons had just agreed with what he was saying.

"I agree. And I thank you for taking cultural differences into mind, especially now." Elladan said darkly.

"You mean about those wraiths?" Oliver asked, "I thought, well, I haven't finished _Return of the King_ yet, but didn't they get killed when Sauron was defeated?" He asked, just as the top of the Burrow came into view.

Elladan stopped, pausing to think of how to reply to the young man, who obviously knew enough to ask the question. "Nothing is ever sure when darkness is involved. When the Halflings destroyed the Ring, we thought that by doing so, it would release the Nazgûl from its power. My father, King Thranduil and my grandmother, Lady Galadriel, were all involved with resealing the High Fells of Rhudaur. That has been more than enough for many years. There were also some dwarves there, who sealed the door, just as they had with the Doors of Durin." Elladan recounted, seeing that Oliver was taking this all into mind, "But when I called out just now, I could feel the Witch-King's presence, something that I have not felt in a long time. Something is moving, stirring or events are coming to pass. I have one idea on who would have enough power to cause an illusion of the Witch-King of Angmar to be semi-real."

"You-know-who." Oliver said, understanding., "Or it could be Siruis Black, he's the only person ever to escape Azkaban." He added, not noticing that Elladan had flinched at the name. "He puts a bad name on Gryffindor." Oliver finished. Elladan had actually met Jonathon's friends, and the Siruis Black he knew would never have done anything like that.

"It may well be either of them." Elladan decided to say, holding the gate open for Hestia's friend, just as his own daughter came flying out, demanding to know what had happened. Elladan only gave her a weary smile, gently resting his hand on her shoulder, before continuing into the house, where Hestia was on the couch, Oliver throwing a blanket around her shoulders as her father made what was most likely a hot chocolate. "**She'll be fine, Luthien. Hestia will be fine.**" He said softly in Quenya, placing a kiss on her head, smiling at how much his daughter panicked like her own mother, his own mother, Celebraín and Arwen.

* * *

"Hey Ollie?" Hestia asked, as her father and grandfather were outside discussing something with her mother.

"Yeah Hessy?" He replied, a smirk on his face, which faded as soon as she elbowed him. "Wotcher need?"

"Can we never tell anyone that I, you know…" She asked, her voice drowsy from the ordeal, as Oliver took the empty cup from her hand, setting it down on the floor next to him.

"About the wraiths?" Oliver clarified, "Or my arm scratch?" He added smiling lightly.

"Wraiths…" Hes said softly, pulling the blanket around her tightly.

"I won't say a single word to anyone about that, Hes." He replied, wrapping her into a one-armed hug. "Not a word to anyone." He repeated. "Just like how you're going to be giving me that Moontrimmer of yours before we get on the train, so that I can watch it for the entire trip." Oliver added, causing her to smile, "From where it will be taken and locked under my bed, to ensure safety. I'm not letting anyone get their hands on it." He finished, smiling after he heard her laughing softly. "And you tore my jersey."

"I'll give you one of mine." She replied.

"Anything to do with the Harpies, on this body? I don't think so!" He joked, laughing at the idea. Nothing of hers would fit him in the slightest. "Not to mention the obvious height difference."

"I'll wait until I hit my elvish growth spurt then." Hes replied, giving him a small smile.

That was enough for him now.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

"Hestia! Come on!" Jonathon yelled up the stairs, waiting for his daughter to come down the stairs, they were meeting the rest of the Weasley clan, who had only just returned from Egypt, at the Leaky Cauldron, for breakfast, and then making sure they had everything together for the start of the school year, before heading for the train.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Hestia replied, taking the stairs two at a time, as she pulled her Weasley jumper over her head, tucking her wand into the back pocket of her jeans as she went. Oliver had been over nearly every day for the past few weeks, sometimes bringing his older sister, who had insisted on coming to get away from their middle sister, training with Hestia, and ensuring that she was able to play not only Seeker brilliantly, but also making her a damn good chaser. Jonathon had helped a bit, providing small pieces of information to the captain, from his own experience as chaser. Yet neither of them had seemingly spoken about the wraiths.

"And so's Christmas." Jonathon replied, passing her the Moontrimmer, as well as her backpack for the train.

"Wow, **Ada.**" She sighed, stepping into the fireplace, before directing it to the pub. As the green flames transported her, and let her down in the right fireplace, landing her on her backside as she landed. "Ooff!" She muttered, standing up quickly, and dusting herself off, before waiting for her parents and grandfather to come through. She got a few questioning looks as to why she was by herself in the pub, but that was dispelled when Elladan came through the fireplace, and took her by the hand, sitting her down at one of the longer tables in the hall. It wasn't long before her parent's arrived, her mother carrying Gwaihir in his cage, and her father holding her trunk in his other hand.

"You know I hate travelling that way." Luthien hissed at her husband, pulling at the jumper she was wearing with her jeans and ballet flats.

"Well it's a far sight easier than driving all this way, and a damn safer too." Jonathon added, as they sat down next to the other two. "So, you have all your books?" He asked, noting she was flicking through a copy of one of the books in Elladan's library in Rivendell.

"Yes, both school books and reading books." Hestia nodded as she shut it and placed it in her bag. All three of the adults noticed that she hadn't let go of her broom yet, and had the sleeve of her jumper pulled down over her hand.

"You didn't handcuff yourself to that broom did you?" Jonathon asked quietly, a small smile on his face. He had done the same thing when he had to take the broom this way.

"Shouldn't I?" She replied, giving her father a bright smile, as they waited for the rest of the Weasley clan to arrive from their rooms. Ginny was the first down, her hair longer than it had been the last time Hestia had seen her.

"HES!" She yelled, jumping the last two stairs, meeting her cousin in the middle of the room. "I've got so much to tell you!" She added, pulling her into a hug.

"I should hope so, she-who-got-sunburnt!" Hestia replied, trying not to bump her cousin with the broom.

"One question," Ginny said, pulling back from the hug, "Why are you still holding the broom?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.

"I may have handcuffed myself to it." Hestia said quietly, "For safety purposes." She added, smiling lightly, "You know because of how rare this is."

"Oh," Ginny replied, her eyes recognising exactly what Hes was talking about. "Gotcha." She added, just as the other Weasley's came down.

"Hestia, cousin!" Fred exclaimed loudly, as he and his twin quickly moved across the room to hug her, except neither of them expected Hestia to launch herself at them, catching them off guard, and causing them to fall to the ground in a heap.

"Someone's been doing some training!" George smiled, trying to push her off, before laughing at the situation they were in.

"Damn straight I have, no longer am I a reserve Seeker, I am a reserve Chaser too!" Hes smiled, as she stood up, before noticing the obvious tan lines they had. "Did every single one of you not take my advice and wear tank tops with two tubs of sunscreen each?" She exclaimed, face-palming as she saw Ron come down the stairs, with a highly tanned face, and pale neck.

"Yeah." Fred said, rubbing the last bit of sunburn on the back of his neck.

"Do you have any moisturiser or aloe vera?" Hes asked, knowing the look of pain all too well. When She spent a summer in either Australia or Middle Earth, she would burn as well.

"No, I'll live." Fred said stoically, before his face lit up with an idea, George must have thought about it as well, or understood what his twin was thinking.

"Say, Hestia," Geroge started, his smirk becoming wider by the second, before Fred finished the idea for him, with a smile equally as wide as his twin's.

"Want to help test our Otter's Fizzy Orange Juice?" He said, pulling a small red tin out of his back pocket, and offered it to his cousin.

"Don't try it Hes!" Ginny warned, "I was sick for two days when they gave me a drink of it." She added, Ron nodding in agreement, as he tried to hold onto Scabbers.

"I think I'll pass on that, guys, or until you get the problems sorted out." Hes smiled, taking a seat next to Ginny, hoping to catch up with everything they had seen in Egypt, leaving the twins to head back to their room, and get rid of the trial products. Ron, now with a firm grip on the rat, pulled out a page of the _Prophet_, letting Hestia read through it, or he had, until a cat ran past, causing Scabbers to struggle out of his grip.

"Oh, you should've seen it!" Ginny smiled, "It was hot as hell, but it was so beautiful!" She summarised, as Harry arrived, raising an eyebrow at the broom Hestia was still holding, but choosing not to say anything, as he Ron and Hermione sat discussing the trip. Percy and the twins soon came down again, Hestia noting that Percy was already wearing his robes, as well as his badge that should've said, 'Head Boy', on it. Though someone, most likely the twins, had charmed it to say Humongous Bighead instead. Hestia snickered at that, as Mr Weasley took Harry aside to talk with him.

"So you know what that's about?" Ginny asked, nodding at her father, as she served herself some of the breakfast that had been placed on the table.

"I have an inkling." Hestia replied, before a witch carrying a cauldron walked past, reminding her about the activity that she and Luna had started last year. "When we get on the train, remind me about cauldrons, kay?" She said quietly, just as Jonathon nodded to his brother, letting him know that it was time to head to the train. Discreetly pulling her sleeve down further, before throwing her bag on her back, Hes and Ginny followed the present Weasley clan out of the pub and towards the station.

Getting through the barrier was less daunting than it had been last year, though it still felt slightly funny, but it was nothing that Hestia wasn't used to. Middle Earth had one as well, not to mention a link to the equivalent of Diagon Alley that New Zealand had. Smiling, Hes pushed her trolley through it, quickly moving out of the way as the twins, and then Ginny followed her. Then Elladan, Jonathon and Luthien walked through, both had their arms linked with the wizard.

"Go on, go get everything loaded." Jonathon smiled, waving the girls towards the train, "We'll be waiting under the clock when you're done." He added, noting that Molly was looking very concerned as she frantically searched her purse and pockets.

"Where's that bloody rat!" She hissed, turning to look around on the ground. "If only that boy could take better care of his pet!" She added, her red hair looking more frizzy than normal.

"Trouble there, Molly?" Luthien asked, passing Jonathon her own handbag. The bemused smile on her face said that she did not care that it was bad on his street credit, it felt good to let him be burdened with something for once.

"Yes, Luthien, dear. Ron's lost his rat." Molly said quickly, just as her sister-in-law linked arms with hers, walking away from where they had been standing.

"Then let us go and find the rat." Luthien said softly, walking away with the shorter woman, her elven eyes keenly looking through the crowd, trying to spot the rat. There was only one toad that she could even see.

"Right, Hes." Jonathon said, slinging his wife's purse over his shoulder, causing his daughter to laugh quite loudly, "Gimme a hug, and we'll call it even." He said, leaning down, and opening his arms. "You be safe this year, got it?" He added softly, as he fixed her hair so the tips of her ears weren't showing. Hes had already said that she would turn the glamours back on when they got to Hogwarts. His daughter's word was enough for him.

"Sure thing Ada. Say goodbye to **Nana** for me will you?" Hes said softly, moving to hug Elladan, who was holding an oilskin cloth, the sort you would use to carry weapons in.

"**I want you to take these, purely to give an old elf some piece of mind.**" He said, indicating for her to turn around so that he could place them in her bag. "**Keep at least one on you at all times.**" He added, passing her the whetstone for her knives, giving her no doubt about what he had just given her.

"**Can I use them to get rid of a particular Slytherin?**" She asked, feigning innocence. Elladan could only shake his head as a response, before giving her a warm hug.

"**I expect you to write to me as well. I know Glorfindel wants to hear how you are going.**" He finished, just as Ginny and a group of second years came up to them. Colin, Daisy, Elanor, Elizabeth were there, along with Maxine, Amy and Luna. Walking quickly over to them, only to be pulled into a large group hug by all of them, Hes almost missed the scared looking ten-year-old firmly attached to Colin's waist.

"You must be Dennis!" Hes said, giving him a warm smile, "Colin's told me a lot about you! I bet you're excited to come go to Hogwarts next year!" She added, getting the kid to smile.

"Thanks…" He said, giving her a sheepish smile, before running back to his parents, further along the platform.

"He seems nice." Elanor said, giving Colin a crooked smile as they all boarded the train, walking along the carriages, until they found an empty dogbox to sit in. They had passed Harry, Ron and Hermione sitting in one, with what was possibly their new DADA teacher, though they looked to be in a serious conversation.

"I don't think I've seen you take your hand off that broom yet, Hes." Daisy said, leaning back in the seat, pulling a magazine out of her bag as she went, though she rested it on her lap.

"Yeah, I better go find Oliver and give it to him." Hestia said, trying not to notice how Colin almost visibly flinched at the name. "He want to have it handcuffed to him, so that he could make sure it's safe." She explained, standing up and moving towards the door.

"And when you get back, you can tell me about the cauldron, or whatever it is you wanted to tell me." Ginny said, noting how her cousin shared a look with Luna, before walking out into the hall. The train had just left the station, and there were student's all over it, looking for their friends, though it seemed to have quieted down quick enough. Peering into the dogboxes as she went, she was annoyed that Oliver and his friend's must have decided to sit down the far end of the train. Had she not promised him that she would give him the broom, she would've held it all the way to Hogwarts.

"**Oh, the things I do for Quidditch.**" She muttered, passing through what seemed to be predominately a Slytherin section of the train. The small red head had almost left that carriage, until she heard the unmistakable yell of Marcus Flint and a laugh she had accredited to Nero Malfoy.

"Weasley!" Flint called, walking down the hall, as if he was following her. "Where you goin with tha' broom!" He yelled, just as Hes managed to reef open the door into the next carriage, sending a silent prayer to any of the Valar that were listening, that there would be Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws or members of her own house in it.

"**Keep your head down.**" She muttered, only turning her head slightly, before she ran into a person she knew all too well. Oliver. "Flint's following me." She managed to say, as Oliver dumped the book he had been holding onto her hand, before pushing her behind him.

"Where'd you go, little Weasley?" Flint leered, as he strutted into the carriage.

"What the sod do you want, Flint?" Wood shot back pulling his wand, even though he wasn't yet seventeen. Flint was though.

"Just to talk with the little Weasley, she was carrying a very nice broom you see, I just wanted to take a look at it." The Slytherin captain sneered as he walked closer, Oliver instinctively put his other arm around Hes, keeping her close. No one came near his team.

"Well you can take a look at it when it whoops your arse in Quidditch this year. Hestia's the new Gryffindor chaser." Wood said proudly, Hes managed to summon the courage to stick her head around Oliver's torso to see Flint sneer once more before strutting back to the previous carriage.

As the door closed, Hestia spoke up, "The house team chaser?" She asked, almost shocked at the announcement.

"Aye, Alicia's been told that if she doesn't bring her grades up, then her parent's will burn her broom. She told me just then." Oliver replied, stashing his wand back into the back pocket of his jeans, "Now, broom." He smiled, leading her back to the dogbox he and his friends, all of the Gryffindor seventh year boys bar Percy, were sitting in. "Everyone, this is Hes." He said, pushing the door open, before pulling a small key out of his bag, the key to the handcuffs. "If she asks one of you to get her broom from under my bed, you do it." He added, having to stand up on the seat to push his bag back onto the racks.

"I didn't think that it was that rare." Hes said quietly, as she tucked the book under her arm so she could pull up her sleeve.

"Oh, that broom's rare alright. Seven years with Oliver will do that to you." One of the boys said, smiling at her. "What, about 100 of them ever made right, Wood?" He added.

"Yeah, and it just so happens that one belonged to Hes' dad." Oliver replied, undoing the handcuff on her wrist before putting it on his own. "So, all precautions are being taken." He added, shoving the key in with his wand. "C'mon, I'll walk you back." He added, seeing how she would most likely be still a little shaken from the encounter with Flint.

As they left the dog box, and slowly started heading back to where Hes had been originally sitting, Hestia seemed to notice that Oliver had his Quidditch captain face on, after the encounter with Flint. "You're not seventeen yet, are you?" She asked quietly, as they walked through the Slytherin carriage.

"Not yet, but I will be in a few months." He replied, giving her a smile. "But it doesn't matter, because I beat Flint's arse in DADA and Transfiguration last year. Not to mention I got him in Charms as well. I'd have hexed his arse, trace or not." Oliver said firmly.

"So, what date do you turn seventeen exactly?" Hestia asked, only now looking at what book he had been reading, _The Silmarillion_, of all things, and there were sticky notes on the sides, highlighting points that would need more research.

"Mid-March." He said softly, giving her a small smile, as they continued, running into Percy, who was confused as to Why Oliver was now holding Hes' broom, but didn't mention anything. When he was out of earshot, Oliver snickered loudly, "Did his badge really say 'Humongous Bighead' instead of Head Boy?" He exclaimed, holding his stomached as he started laughing.

"You can thank your beaters for that." Hes said softly, causing him to laugh even more.

"They're going to be running less laps now, that is genius!" He finished, finally able to pull himself together as they passed the Golden Trio, almost back to Hes' dogbox.

"Thanks for walking me back." Hes said, leaning on the door, as she returned his book. "I can copy out the full version of this if you want." She added, nodding at the book, "It may take a bit, because my Quenya is a little slower than my Sindar." She explained.

"This is killing me enough as it is, I can't imagine what the real one's like." Olive admitted, causing Hestia to laugh.

"There is a reason why we call it our bible." Hes said, straightening her hair, before giving Oliver a wave as he walked back down to his dogbox. "Right everyone, I'm back!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. Maxine as asleep against the door, Amy leaning against her. Daisy had taken up residence in the bag racks, and was reading her magazine with head-muffs on. Elanor was asleep as well, a book on her lap, while Elizabeth and Colin were pressed against the window on either side of the box. Ginny and Luna were firmly awake. No one had stirred at the sound of her voice, giving both her and Luna the perfect opportunity to explain what they had been doing last year.

"So let me get this straight," Ginny started, running her hands through her hair yet again, "You believe Professor Snape is possessed, and that by the end of our sixth year, you'll be able to slip him some of this potion, and see if he actually is?" She said quickly, a worried expression on her face as her cousin and friend both nodded their agreement. "You're both bat-shit crazy. But I'll help. I owe you both that much."

"Good, because I don't think it'll look too good on my school record if I have to serve heaps of detentions with Snape, just so that I can nick stuff from his storerooms." Hes smiled, just as the train shuddered to a stop, jerking everyone in the box awake, and causing Daisy to drop onto Elizabeth, Elanor, Amy and Maxine's laps. Colin bumped his head against the glass, causing him to cuss lightly as he woke up.

"What's happening? We can't be there yet." He said, rubbing the side of his head, as Maxine moved Dasiy's feet off her lap, and moved to open the door, just as many of the other student's had, there were looks of confusion all along the hall, as the train jolted sidewards, forcing them all back into the dogboxes.

"Do any of you magical folk know what causes this?" Elizabeth asked, pointing to the window, which seemed to have ice growing on it. Maxine, being the closest to the door, promptly locked it, hoping that it would be enough to hold whatever it was off, for a bit.

"I dunno." Ginny said, shrugging her shoulders, "But I do know that the train stops for nothing." She added, "I'm going to look for Percy. He'll know what to do." After Ginny had left the compartment Hestia, who had been sitting on the floor backed all the way to edge of the dogbox, underneath the window, this action seemed to cause Elanor to become highly worried, this was an elf, who was incredibly scared of whatever was on the train. They didn't have to wait long to see why.

"That's a Dementor!" Daisy exclaimed as the black clothed shape unlocked the door, sliding it open, but not entering. Hestia was shaking under the window, and Elanor knew exactly why. There seemed to be little difference between a Dementor and a Nazgûl. Hes was probably thinking it was the latter. Then it started to seemingly suck at Hestia, Colin and a few others tried using their limited knowledge of spells to get rid of it. Amy, the quietest of them all seemed to take matters into her own hands and let out the most blood-curdling scream they had ever heard, just as a bright light came flying up the corridor.

"Hes?"

"Is she still even alive?"

"Has to be, she's got a pulse."

"But she's, you know…"

"And I'm distantly related to, you know."

"Oh. Hey, I think she's opening her eyes!"

Hes' eyes flickered open, surprised to find that she was laying down over Elanor's lap, with Ginny and Luna holding her legs.

"Steady, steady." Came a voice that sounded familiar, but she had no memory of where she had heard it. "You took quite a hit from the Dementor." It added, just as her sight properly returned. Reaching up, she was shocked to find that Elanor had pulled her hair back, and that her ears were on full display to those in the carriage. Most of her friends seemed to accept it, only Amy seemed a little put off by them. The voice telling her to steady herself now came into view revealing a man, about her father's age, with scars covering his face, and wearing a very old pair of robes. All of this seemed familiar to her, and still she didn't know where she had seen this man before. "Here, eat this, you'll feel better." He said, producing a block of chocolate from somewhere in his robes, handing each of them two blocks.

"Thank you, professor…" Maxine said, politely, trying to find out his name.

"Lupin." He replied with a warms smile, before pointing at the chocolate, "Eat, trust me." He added, as Maxine took a small bite out of the blocks he had handed her.

"Why did that thing suck at Hes?" Colin asked, having finished his block already.

"I think that is something only she can tell you, though you have to thank this young lady here for the scream, quite impressive." Lupin said, standing up, but leaving the chocolate on the seat where he had been sitting. "I was just on my way to the driver when you were attacked I'll go alert him now." He said walking out of the dogbox and up closer to the engine.

As soon as the door closed, Hes sat up, readjusting her hair, and eating the chocolate Lupin had given her.

"Well?" Came Maxine's voice, cutting through the tension.

"I'm half-elven. Please don't share that with the rest of the school." Hestia pleaded, before her friends nodded.

"Nothing is leaving this dogbox, now, why did that thing pick on you specifically?" Amy asked, voicing her concerns and assurances in a clear voice, something that she had never done before.

"Because of my elven heritage, well," Hes started, pulling at her jumper sleeves, "I can say that just because we're elves, doesn't mean that there's not a lot of bloodshed and death in our past, quite the opposite actually. Some of my family were even involved in it." She continued, "And all of the bad is considered to be shared memory among my people, and because I've got not only Sindarin, but Quenyan, and Noldor blood in my veins, it doesn't make for the most pleasant past. With all the kinslaying and death in there." She finished, seeing that her friends were satisfied with her answer. Elanor seemed to be taking it all in, and knowing that the even that her friend had listed wasn't the worst there was.

"So, even if it happened millennia ago, it still affects you?" Elizabeth asked, passing her friends another block of chocolate each.

"Anything since the dawn of the elves, as long as it's within those races." Hes clarified, as Maxine, Amy, Elizabeth, Daisy, and Luna all grabbed their bags, heading to get changed, just as a distraught Oliver Wood practically threw open the door, hoping to see that they were all fine, even if one was a Slytherin.

"We heard that there were a couple of second and third years that fainted." He puffed, Hes' broom still attached to his wrist, though he was now wearing his Hogwarts robes.

"That second year would be me." Hes replied, as Colin too left, his shoulder bumping Wood on the way out. "And I would bet a few dollars that the third year was Harry." She said, reassuring him enough that he left.

"Good, just checking to make sure that you weren't knocked up too badly." He finished, walking back to his dogbox. Leaving the four remaining girls to wait until their friends got back to go and get changed. Soon after, Nero Malfoy paid a visit, purely to tease them, before insisting on accompanying Maxine back to the dogbox he had. The Slytherin had begrudgingly left her friends, knowing that her parents could hear that she was hanging out with the 'Wrong Sort'.

Never before had they been more glad to see the castle in all its glory. Even if it was raining slightly.

Slightly in Hestia's mind anyway. She had seen far heavier downfalls in New Zealand and Middle Earth. Now they only had to wait another hour until they could be fed, and go to bed after the eventful ride.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: I would like to apologize to our readers on behalf on Xanabell and I for not posting chapters frequently enough. I would also like to thank our readers for their continued support. If you want leave a review or comment on what you are enjoying (or not enjoying) about Halfblood feel free to let us know.

Thanks BookwormAli (and Xanabell)

* * *

Hestia stood patiently as she waited for her new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher to appear.

"I wish he'd hurry up already." She said turning to Ginny, "After Lockhart we need a proper teacher."

"Ahem coming through. Hi yes sorry." The new professor pushed through the sea of second years, his wand in one hand and a small stack of papers and books in the other. He flicked his wand and the doors opened, "come in come in. Steady now don't rush."

Hestia stood at the front of the room amazed at what he had done it. In one corner a seemingly empty tank which glimmered when Hestia looked at it. Gone were the majority of the desks and the bookshelves were filled with books that weren't by Gilderoy Lockhart.

"Attention class. My name is Professor Lupin and I will be your new Defence Against the dark Arts teacher, now I apologize for being late, I well uh the stair changes." He said pulling out a rolled piece of parchment, "Now everyone grab a chair," He pinned the parchment to the blackboard and with a flick of his wand 20 or so chairs appeared in one of the corners of the room.

"I wonder if he's any good." Hestia whispered to Daisy.

"Creevy, Colin," lupin called out. "Dixon, Amy."

"I dunno, What do you reckon Ginny?" Daisy asked Ginny

"Well the twins had him this morning and they reckon he's cool so…." Ginny began

"Excuse me girls could this wait until after class?" Professor Lupin said raising an eyebrow at them.

"Uh yes sir, sorry," Daisy swifly apologized,

"Quillman, John. Weasley Ginny. Weasley Hestia." Professor Lupin and his eye twitched slightly, his expierence with the boys had obviously not gone well. "There's two sets of Twins? Are you as bad as your brothers?"

"Oh no sir, we're not twins, or even sisters" Ginny explained "Cousins., Our fathers are brothers."

"Oh Good then. " Lupin then went back to marking the roll. "Alright then that's everybody. Today I will be teaching you what to do if you find yourself lost in the marshland with Imps tormenting you. Now if this is too advanced for what you currently know than please tell me. God knows I might have to start all over with you lot seeing as you had that idiot Lockhart as a teacher."

* * *

"Ok now say it one more time Flipendo." Lupin said encouragingly.

"Flipendo" His class called back to him. The bell rang and they all scrambled to grab their satchels and books.

"Alright see you next lesson. Hestia and Ginny could I see you please?" Professor Lupin called as the students left the room. Ginny and Hestia gave small look to each other placed their stuff on the ground and walked over to the professors desk. "Ok then. Which Weasley brother is your dad?"

"I'm Arthurs, don't worry I'm the last of his, no more nasty surprises in the form of more brothers." Ginny said giving him a small smile.

"good old Arthur. Does he still have that job at the ministry?" Ginny nodded. "good, good. that means that Hestia here is…."

"Johnathon, youngest Weasley, I think." Hestia replied.

Lupin smiled at her. "Ah yes, I knew your father quite well, actually was in my year at school, good man. Go on now catch up with your friends."

The girls walked down the corridors towards the great hall it was filled with the brim with food as usual and the girls found an empty spot on a bench near Daisy and Elizabeth.

"So what do you think of this new professor Ginny? Elizabeth teased remembering Ginny's crush on their previous professor.

"Oi shut it Liz." Ginny shoved Elizabeth in the shoulder "That was before I knew he was an ass and that he had no bloody brain."

"Yeah the man was a sorry excuse for a Ravenclaw. No brains." Added Hestia.

Professor McGonagall stepped up to the podium in front of the staff table. "Would like to remind all third year students that their permission slips for Homemade will be due before this weekend's trip. I would also like to remind you all that there are Dementors guarding the grounds for your safety." She looked over towards Lee Jordan and the twins. "And that you have been asked by professor Dumbledore not to interact with the creatures as they are highly dangerous. So please refrain going near them and disturbing them. Thank you."

Ginny shot her brothers a dangerous look. "This is why you don't want to be affiliated with my brothers Hes." She said smiling at her cousin. "Nothing but trouble they are."

* * *

Well this year we will be going back and trying to mix both curriculums together, however if any of you would like to learn any other information about the wonders of Herbology please come and as me." Professor Sprout opened her lesson to Hestia's class. Instead of being with the Hufflepuffs for Herbology Gryffindor's were placed with the Slytherins which wasn't all that bad, Nero and his friends were horrid but being able to see Maxine outside of Quidditch was really nice. "ok now everyone please place your gloves on today we will be learning about the wonders of the Spiky Bush. I am warning you now do not get too close as they have been known to shoot their spikes at humans if they feel they are under attack. Now the spell to get rid of them, one that I am sure you are familiar with is the fire making charm Incendio. Well this charm Incendio Duo is very similar and is used to destroy Spikey Bush."

This reminded Hestia that the Spikey Bush had been a plant on her list of ingredients that would be needed for the Arda possession reversal potion. "Professor Sprout. Does anybody use the plant for potions- is it a common potion ingredient?"

"Well actually Hestia the spikes used to be used in potions but now there are other alternatives because of the plants tendency to harm Humans." Replied professor Sprout. "I haven't heard anyone using it though for a very long time. Anyway now class if you would like to follow me into the next greenhouse we will begin to rid these creatures from my greenhouse." Professor Sprout said leading her class into room filled with magical plants. "Now please be careful of the devil's snare."

Hestia steered clear of the large plant. She remembered Ginny telling her about Ron's misadventure with the plant in his first year.

"I'm loving being back in the swing of it. Aren't you?" she said to Maxine as they edged closer towards the front of the class.

"Yeah. Better than being back home." Maxine replied. "It was nuts. Dad even tried to invite the Malfoys over. Both he and my mum are trying so hard to prove that our family is just as good as theirs. You see my mums a halfblood and the Malfoys don't approve of that but for some stupid reason my dad just wants them in our lives. It's not like their anything special.

"Ugh I know right this whole pureblood, halfblood, muggleborn thing is stupid. We're witches and wizards for goodness sake. It really doesn't make a difference." Hestia said sighing. "Quidditch should be good too. I've got a lot more ideas to make our year matches a lot more interesting."


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I own very few characters.

**LINEBREAK**

"Now as many of you know Hestia has been nominated captain of the year teams, however we have decided it would only be fair for each team to have a captain, so I would like to announce our other team captain is Christopher." Madame Hooch announced to the crowd of keen players. Everyone gave the new captain a round of applause. "Now to give you all an idea of how training and matches will work. I have combined this training session, just this once - each team can train separately once your captains have organized it.

"Now you're first match against each other will be in 3 weeks. Hopefully after that match we can spur more of your classmates, and the other years, into the action. But more on that later, lets warm up." Madame Hooch blew her whistle and the teams flew off onto the pitch. They started with basic passes and flying techniques as a warm-up, then more attack and defence style drills. Madam Hooch wanted each player to have a basic knowledge of each position, despite what they had tried out for the previous year.

Hestia made a mental note to thank Wood for his holiday help, whilst other players stumbled in their different positions, she thrived, matching Ginny on the school's old Cleansweeps, only as Oliver suggested that she save the reveal for a real match.

"Oi, this is complete rubbish." She heard Nero snigger to Alix, as he intercepted the quaffle that had been thrown very sloppily by Lillian.

"Mr Malfoy, I would suggest that this exercise is very helpful for you especially, seeing as you are a sub." Madam Hooch called out to him. "If you don't like it than leave." With that Nero flew higher with the quaffle flinging it at Luna, who was being taught different defensive positions, in case she was moved to being the team's keeper. Luna realized just in time and quickly flew out of the way, the quaffle narrowly grazing her arm.

Christopher signalled Hestia from across the pitch. She raced over to him and jumped from her broom, landing perfectly on her feet. "Just so I don't double book, what days would you like the pitch for training. I mean we'll have to consider the House teams too." He said to her quite diplomatically, possibly scared that Wood had selected her personally, and had already been seen with her planning for their upcoming matches in the library, when they had had the same frees.

Madam Hooch had noticed them talking and had strolled over to join them. "Now don't forget we reserve the stadium for the Houses, if its free you can use it but the Training pitch is always welcome."

"Oh yeah I'd forgotten that the Houses mostly train in the Stadium now. Well then that should make it easier. How about my team goes on Mondays and Thursdays and your team goes on Tuesdays and Fridays, Christopher?" Hestia asked, hoping that having one training at the start and the end of the week would be a good idea.

"Actually yeah that'd be great. It will be a lot easier to train the kids who are new to Quidditch on a smaller pitch." Christopher noted, nodding to a few of the girls from Gryffindor and the other lone Ravenclaw, who were struggling with bludgers. "Maybe we could get each of the House captains involved too. I know Oliver's involved, but I bet more people would sign up if our House Captains were involved."

"Great idea." Hestia replied excitedly, making a mental note to mention getting the other captains involved to Oliver, or at least two of the other three. She turned to Madam Hooch, after glancing quickly at her watch, realising that they were supposed to finish about fifteen minutes ago, "Mind if we finish up?" She asked, waiting for Hooch to nod before called her teammates in and Christopher explained all of the details of their training days.

"These teams are about improving our skills and having a bit of friendly competition." He said "But in saying that from now on our training will be separate. Now we should probably name each team."

"Any suggestions?" Hestia asked hopefully, looking around her team, noting that there were a few muggleborns, as well as established wizard families. Most of them had a confused look on their faces.

It took a few moments, but Ginny shot up her hand. "For our team what about the Nogtails?"

"Great job. Ok, what about for our team?" Christopher asked.

Josie, one of their chasers, called out. "What about the Red Caps?"

"Great team names. Well then, in honour of your animals each of your colours will be dark brown and red, respectively. Please for now, just wear regular Quidditch pants, no robes needed and I will order some shirts from Diagon Alley and have them sent to you." Madam Hooch announced, and promptly dismissed them to dinner, assuming that there was still food left, giving them a quick wink as she held out her hands for the borrowed school brooms to be returned.

Hestia and Ginny had already begun counting down the days till their first match. Oliver had already marked it on the main calendar in the common room, with a bright, red marker. McGonagall had taken one look at it and given him fifty lines to write before his next Transfiguration lesson, leaving with a small smile etched onto her face.

**LINEBREAK**

"Hestia! Ginny! Over here." Colin stood up from where he was sitting at the Gryffindor table, with the rest of their year, and a few more from fourth year. The Weasley cousins walked over to him and sat down, one on either side of the boy.

"Thanks for saving us a seat, Colin." Hes asked as she began piling food onto her plate, "Is he more used to you being away than he was last year?" She added, nodding at the piece of lined paper in front of her friend. Colin didn't reply, instead passing her the photo that came with the letter, there was also the film, so that he could make it a wizard photo, showing Dennis smiling as he held onto the flying chair ride that he was on, obviously at a fair. "Aww, is that his first time on the flying chairs?" Hestia asked, handing the photo back, getting a nod from Colin.

"Yeah, he also reckons that your pretty, or from what he saw of you when he met you at the station." Colin smiled, grabbing a piece of the garlic bread she had added, causing her to pull a face. "Ginny stole my last one." He replied, causing Ginny to smile and wave innocently.

"At least there's no other Basilisk in the castle that can petrify you." Ginny said, "Sorry 'bout that, by the way."

"Yeah, you can write to them a lot more this year!" Hes reaffirmed.

"And tell them that there's a mass murderer on the loose? I think I'll pass." He mumbled his reply, reaching for his goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Well, omit a few details here and there." Hes said, "I do that with most of my letters, therefore, **Ada** doesn't worry about me as much." Hestia admitted.

"It's obviously a Weasley thing, because we all do it. Well, everyone but Percy." Ginny added.

"Yeah I'll think about it. How was training?" Colin replied quickly changing the subject, and setting the garlic bread down onto the copy of the _Prophet_ in front of him.

"Intense, but hopefully we recruit more players, so we have more teams." Hestia replied not noticing Colin's eagerness to change the subject.

"Thinking of signing up?" Ginny asked, a smile set firmly in place.

"Maybe. If it gets me away from that lot." Colin huffed, nodding down the table at the First Years.

"So, I guess that's what it feels like to be Harry." Ginny murmured, understanding what was happening, "Want me to go talk some sense into them?" She asked, pulling the sleeves of her school jumper up.

"Go for it." Colin smiled, "Just don't petrify them, kay?" He added, getting a wicked smile on her face.

"Oh I just might have to." She replied, standing and moving down the table, and sitting down right in the middle of the large group of First Years.

"What do you think of all the homework we're getting? They've really stepped it up this year." Hestia asked, setting her fork down to reach for her drink, raising an eyebrow at Seamus, who was still attempting to turn a goblet of water into rum, "Someone's gonna have to tell him that these things are charmed to detect minors. That's never gonna work." She sighed, causing Colin to laugh, before he turned serious again.

"Yeah. Potions especially." Colin replied, "Probably because I missed out on half a year's worth of teaching." He added, shuddering at the thought of losing more house points than Neville in the subject. _Potions…. There was something to do with potions that I had to do._ Hestia thought. Suddenly she remembered… the potion… her secret… the map. Hestia quickly scrambled up from the bench, and pulled her bag back onto her shoulders, quickly grabbing a piece of the garlic bread and quickly checked that she had everything with her, including the blank piece of parchment that concealed the prototype Marauder's Map, something else she had found while cleaning out her father's boxes. Colin looked at her puzzled, "You alright Hes?" He asked, sliding her plate out of the way as she slammed the bag down so that she could take a better look through it.

"Uh I gotta go, sorry Colin. I'll talk to you later in the common room." Hestia replied, walking quickly towards the door. _I gotta get the real map back to the twins soon_. She thought as she gently tapped through the pockets of her robes for her favourite quill, surprised that it hadn't been broken when she had shoved it in her bag after Herbology yesterday. As Hestia strode out the door of the Great Hall, and into the foyer, she ran into something.

"Oof." She lost her footing and slipped over, landing on her backside, as a hand reached for her wand, the knife she had wouldn't be as useful if this was going to end in a duel. "Watch where you're going!" Hestia said not looking up, as she pulled herself up of the ground, wand drawn in case it was a Slytherin that had pushed her, looking for a fight.

"Just like your father, aren't you Hestia?" Came Professor Lupin's voice from where he had stumbled to, obviously practicing with her grandada had paid off. "Always rushing off somewhere. Ah, the professors never suspected him either." Lupin continued, motioning for Hestia to put her wand away. "What mischief are you up to now, Hestia?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at her, his eyes making it almost too hard to tell a lie.

"Nothing sir. Just forgot something in the dorms, that's all." Hestia said, lifting her bag slightly, "And I needed to grab something for Luna too." She added, "We have class together next, see." She managed to say, lying obviously well enough to the professor, because he nodded, with a small smile etched onto his weathered face. _Something very important and potentially dangerous if it falls into the wrong heads_.She thought to herself, glad that she hadn't stuck the final copy in her bag as she normally would've, "Well I got to go, you know the long climb up the stairs and all. See you later sir." She called, heading for the staircases.

"Stay out of trouble Hestia." Lupin winked at her before wandering into the great hall whistling, _Was that Band on the Run?_ Hestia thought as she started the long climb back up to Gryffindor Tower. Racing up the stairs, glad that they were in her favour today, and practically running headlong into the Fat Lady's Portrait so she could get inside, barely having time to mutter the password before it swung open, letting her run up to the girls' dormitory and swipe the real map from under her pillow.

Her prototype map, according to Fred and George who had given it a look over, was cursed, just like the finished version of the map. The curse could also potentially set the whole room alight but she hadn't realised that it was that bad yet. The other girls that shared the dorm with her valued their privacy too, so they never went ransacking through the other's belongings.

She picked up the finished marauders map and her prototype and began using the old one to copy the finishing touches on it. Then she noticed it… the small writing in each corner that read 'Owl', a nickname her father had at school. It was almost undetectable except for someone with superb eyesight or a special spell.

"What does dad have to do with this map?" Hestia muttered, setting her quill down in her ink jar, resting her slightly inky, left hand on her chin, careful not to get the ink on her white shirt or on her face, having spent a few hours last year scrubbing it off, "I thought those guys, the marauders or whoever made it." She whispered to no one as she waited for the ink to dry before folding it up. Quickly setting the other one blank and putting her now finished copy into her bag, she raced across to the boys' dorms, placing the original map under Fred's pillow as they had discussed when they had handed the map over. Now all she needed to do was to get to the potion, and make sure that it had survived over the summer, and was stirred appropriately. They had more ingredients to add soon.


	22. Chapter 22

Halfblood

Hi everybody. I am so sorry for being absent lately- exams and holidays! But I'm back( along with Xanabell) with a great couple of great ideas and chapters up our sleeves will try and post every few weeks if I can.

"Ok so this is the deal. We need to divide the potion into… three cauldrons and treat each one like a… separate potion." Hestia said reading from her slightly ink splattered recipe, mentally cursing at the ink spill she had had earlier that day.

"Hes, do we even have three cauldrons?" Ginny asked "Other than the ones we have to have for class?"

"Yes, I mean, if I remember correctly," Luna said "The original cauldron was a bit difficult to get."

Hestia pondered this for a moment. "Well yes. I did steal the original one from the potions storeroom," Hestia said, shrugging at the memory, "and almost got caught by Snape. I lost 30 house points and got 2 weeks-worth of detention. But I also managed to smuggle these in." She pulled two more out from a dark corner of the room. "If Dad finds out he will, quite possibly kill me, but it's for a good cause." Hestia scooped some of the potion into each cauldron, pulling a face at the stench that it caused. "Good thing we're doing this in a passage, huh?"

Ginny's nose curled up as Hestia stirred one of the new cauldrons "Bloody hell, that stinks, Hes. Are you sure its right?"

"Yeah. We gotta add the balm and knotgrass to this one." Hestia pointed to the cauldron in front of Ginny. "And lemongrass and horse hair to yours, Luna." She added, "That should clear up the smell slightly." She said, hopeful that it didn't make the potion smell worse.

Luna added her ingredients and stirred her cauldron, Ginny did the same, confused at what the next part of the recipe said. "Hestia, it says you add some Sopophorous bean to yours and whisper the possessed one's name twice. This must be really old magic cause, I never heard anyone talk to a potion before." Ginny exclaimed, setting her mixing stick down next to the cauldron.

Outside, the bells began to ring in the courtyard, and dozens of footsteps rushing in front of them. "Hogsmeade bell." Luna said decisively. "We won't be able to go out the usual way. To many people. They'll all be trying to get down the stairs to the courtyard in time."

"Well isn't that just great?" Ginny snorted, "And if they see two Weasleys' and a Lovegood sneaking around, they're going to start rumours."

"That's true," Luna replied, "Hes, does your map have the passageways on it?" She asked, knowing that the map wasn't entirely finished.

"Um, let me have a look…" Hes replied, opening the map, which was affectionately known to them as 'Owls Map', after her dad's old nickname. She was going to need his help to finish it, something that she was regretting having to ask. Her's didn't insult people if they didn't know the password and it couldn't tell you where people were either. Just the entrances to the passageways. "If we follow this corridor," Hestia pointed to their current location, using her wand to provide some more light. "There's a small set of stairs which will lead us to the portrait of that old professor dude-"

"Professor Fronsac." Luna interrupted, knowing where they would end up.

"Which will put us outside the Library." Ginny finished, smiling, it wouldn't look suspicious at all.

"Exactly." Hestia said. "Let's go." She added, gathering her bag, and leading the way, map and wand still out, "Mind the floor, it's a tad uneven." She called over her shoulder, mostly for Luna's benefit.

"Thank you!" The blonde called back.

The girls hurried down the small corridors and through the passageways into the library, glad that no one had noticed them leave the portrait, despite the number of first and second years mulling around the area. Declaring that the coast was safe enough, Ginny and Luna headed into the library, possibly to catch the other red head up on what she had missed last year.

"Where'll you head to Hes?" Ginny asked, pulling her potions book out of her bag.

"I have no clue, probably out to the lake or something, just for a bit of fresh air." She replied, tightening her scarf, "I can't stand being locked up inside too long."

"How about we meet in the Great Hall for lunch?" Luna asked, knowing that they would be allowed to sit together, as not many people would be back from the village.

"That sounds like a plan, Luna." Hes smiled, sticking her map back in her bag, and pulling out a book. "I'll see you guys there." She added, pulling on a beanie and gloves. Whilst it was cold outside, it was also natural, something she had been lacking at the moment.

Walking down to the lake, she wasn't surprised that she didn't find anyone having a similar idea to her, not that she would blame them, it was a good day to stay in bed, smiling, Hestia turned down the path, pulling her gloves up higher. Had Oliver not already gone to Hogsmeade, she would have asked if she could use her broom. Sitting down next to the shore of the lake, she thought about their new Defence teacher, since being back at Hogwarts Hestia's class had only had a few classes with the mysterious Professor Lupin and from what she'd heard and seen he was much better than his predecessors. Although he had been missing last week leaving professor Snape to run the class. Which was interesting to say the least. Especially when he started them on nocturnal animals, something that shouldn't have happened until their third year.

Yet Hestia still had unanswered questions about Professor lupin. Like how did he know her father? Did they go to school together? Hestia was still waiting for an owl back from her father who'd had to leave England suddenly. Something about an overpopulated swarm of Billywigs in Western Australia, something that had to be dealt with before the next Thunders vs Warriors match. Quietly looking at her watch, she noticed that it was about time she headed back up to the castle.

Hestia watched as the 3rd years left a courtyard, heading down to Hogsmeade, under the strict supervision of McGonnagall and Filch, the older students had left earlier that morning. All except a few, of course. Out of the corner of her eye Hestia spotted two tall, beanie wearing redheads. George and Fred were walking into one of the classrooms, though it looked like they were holding onto something. As Hes moved back into the relative warmth of the castle, she noticed that the One-Eyed Witch statue had moved slightly, and Fred and George had appeared from behind it, before they swaggered down to Hogsmeade via the road.

After they had left, Hestia could hear the stone moving against the floor as the statue returned to its normal position.

"The passageways of course!" Hestia muttered to herself, opening the door of the Great Hall, and heading inside, pulling off her beanie as she went. S_omeone obviously doesn't have their permission slip._ She thought, spotting her group of friends filling up one section of the Ravenclaw table, Max as well, all crowded over Ginny and her potions book.

"Hes," Elizabeth called, "Can you remember the twelve uses of Dragonsblood?" She asked, as Hes sat down next to Amy.

"Didn't we write them all down, then divide and conquer for the exam?" She asked, "My three were oven cleaner, spot cleaner and a cure for Verruca."

"Mine had something to do with the healing properties." Max put in.

"I think there was something about pesticide." Daisy answered.

"And use in potions." Amy added.

"Duh, that's why it's in the curriculum." Hestia smiled, grabbing a sandwich. "Doesn't it taste funny as well?"

"I think I remember that." Ginny said, quickly scribbling the notes down in her book.

"Now am I just late, or were you guys supposed to be in the library?" Hestia asked, taking a bite of the sandwich.

"We got kicked out." Colin said briefly.

"Apparently, Madame Pince doesn't like seven second years helping one with potions." Elanor added, "Max and Daisy were making the noise, I was reading some of the healing books." She added.

"Well at least we can make as much noise we need to in here." Max replied, chomping on an apple, "And to be honest, we were attempting to piss Alix Killian off."

"And Amy helped." Daisy added, making their Hufflepuff friend blush.

"We're turning you into a regular Newt Scamander, aren't we?" Elizabeth smiled, flipping through her potions book to see if she had written anything in the margins.

"I have five, loud Gryffindor friends, one from Slytherin, and one from Ravenclaw. It was bound to happen eventually." She replied with a smile. "I blame you Gryffindors though." She added.

"I'm hurt, Amy!" Colin exclaimed, as some of the other students started filtering back in from Hogsmeade. Apparently, Ron had thought about other people and had gotten Ginny a new quill, having noted that she was chewing on the end of her current one. It wasn't until the middle of the afternoon that everyone was heading back to their common rooms, to put their stuff away.

LINEBREAK.

Ginny and Hestia were headed back to their common room, the others having gone on ahead, when they heard it. The scream from the Fat Lady portrait. The running of people, from all houses, up staircases was enough to tell them something was up. Especially when they saw Gryffindor's girl prefect run down the stairs, and Percy race up past them.

"**Eru Ilúvatar**!" Hestia exclaimed, pulling her bag in tight, "The one afternoon where I want to do nothing other than sit around in my pyjamas, and something like this happens." She hissed, as she followed her cousin up the stairs, beating some of the other Gryffindor's there.

"Alright, let me through please." Came Percy's voice as he came down from a higher staircase, "Excuse me, I'm head boy." He added, as the girls could see Filch behind him.

"Oi, Hes, what's up?!" Katie Bell asked, from just behind the twins.

"The Portraits' been slashed." She replied, as Ginny pushed through back to Ron to tell them what happened.

"No one is to enter this dormitory until it has been fully searched." Percy decided, as the teachers came racing up the stairs.

Fred had pulled Hes out of the way, firmly holding onto her shoulders, while the teachers looked at what had happened.

"She's up here!" Someone yelled, causing the entire house to rush up the stairs, or most of them, Oliver had appeared, and had taken to making sure that the first and second years were staying put where they were. He was having far more success than Percy, possibly because no one was keen to have the quidditch captain shouting at them.

"Oliver, take them to the Great Hall!" Percy called from the upper level, his year-mate giving him a thumbs up.

"You heard him!" Oliver yelled, standing back and watching as the younger students file down the stairs. "I want you sixth years in front to make sure no one pulls away!" He yelled, pulling his wand out, and bringing up the rear. "That goes for you Weasleys' as well." He added, his eyes softening slightly as he gently pushed between their shoulders to move them down the stairs.

"We can't even get our pyjamas?" Hestia asked, frowning as she marched down the stairs, "I'm armed, I could take that Black guy on." She added, "If I'm going to be sleeping on a floor, I want to be comfortable doing it."

"As much as I hate that Percy said it, Hes, rules are rules." Oliver replied, as they reached the bottom of the stairs, and moved into the hall.

"Not even for a second?" Hestia asked, as they walked through the doors, taking their places on the Gryffindor table.

"Think of it like a quidditch foul." He offered, "Foul, and your team's penalised."

"True." Hestia muttered, as she sat on the table, following the example of many of the other students.

"Thought so." Oliver smiled as he walked away, trying to find McGonnagall to see what he could do. Whispers stirred all around the tables, leaving everyone to give their version of events. It only took a few hand signals to Max and Amy for them to find out what was going on.

When the teachers arrived, including Professor Lupin, Dumbledore ordered the students to stand, and transfigured the tables into sleeping bags, and pyjamas.

"All students will be going to the bathrooms in small groups, but for now, find a space on the floor." He instructed, before calling the prefects, Head boy and girl, as well as the teachers to discuss a plan of action.

"Just think of it like camping out with grandada." Hestia muttered, testing the stones on the floor, finding a comfortable spot. "Ginny, here!" She called, beaconing her cousin over, the girl closely followed by the rest of their friends. Max had even dragged a bag over.

"You know you put us right next to the seventh year Gryffindors, right?" Max asked, pulling her green tie off.

"What?" Hes asked, looking over her shoulder, to see Wood and the rest of his dorm setting their bags up. "They're just there because they know I have a knife." She hissed back at her friend, causing her to laugh as she rolled out the bag.

"Well, that makes me feel safer." Amy smiled, undoing her plaits, and sticking the bands on her wrists.

"Oliver, did you find out what's going on?" She asked, using her tie to hold her hair back.

"Nope, but they're gonna call the dementors in for a look." He added, passing her some chocolate, "Lupin said to give you that." He added with a smile, pulling a beanie onto his head. "It's going to be a cold night, too."

"Fun." Max deadpanned, sighing as she returned with different sized sets of pyjamas, passing a set to each of her friends.

"Well, if you look at it from the perspective that we're not outside, then, aye, it will be." Oliver smiled, "I never took you Slytherins to be as joyful as you are." He added, eyes narrowing.

"Max is a special case, and we have Amy to help keep her in line." Colin said, lying down on his sleeping bag.

"Amy's a Hufflepuff, in case you're wondering." Elanor added, tucking her necklace under her clothes.

"Amy knows that she can't stop Max, so she helps, and tones Max's plans down." Amy said, "And is the person to clip Max and Daisy behind the ears when they need it."

"Well, hats off to you." Oliver said, pulling his beanie off, before sticking it back on. "And I won't be sharing Gryffindor tactics with any of you." He added, as Luna set her bag down and unrolled it in the opposite direction.

"If I wanted Gryffindor tactics, I'd look at Puddlemere." Max laughed, pointing at Oliver's beanie.

"Lay off," He replied, "You're as bad as the team."

"Because the Wasps are better." Max said, as the teachers called for the second years to leave and get changed.

As Hestia walked out of the hall, she thought about the shadow she had seen as they were walking up the stairs, a pair of brown eyes, that reflected in the darkness, as well as the smell of wet dog, somewhere she had seen those eyes, and smelt that distinct smell before.


End file.
